The Beginning of an Era
by dreaming of sparkles
Summary: Massie Block's reign on OCD and Westchester has ended. Now it's time for her to dominate London, and for Alicia Rivera to rule back in Westchester. But nothing is ever easy in the world of the A-list. Watch them deal with rejected party invitations, blonde airheads, and new additions to their cliques. It's the beginning of a new era. Set after A Tale of Two Pretties.
1. i

**A/N: Hey everyone! My name's Rachel, and this is my first fanfic, so please read and review! Thanks. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Clique . . .**

**Massie Block: **Moving to London means a new house, new friends, and a new country. But most importantly, it means climbing to the top of the social ladder. _Ah-gain. _And getting used to everyone's ah-nnoying times ten (but sophisticated) British accents. London's different from Westchester, but Massie's determined to turn every lump of coal she comes across into a diamond.

**Alicia Rivera: **Is fully ready to take on the role of being the alpha of the Pretty Committee. The problem is, Westchester isn't exactly ready for her to be alpha. But she'll do anything to show them that she is just as good as being alpha as Massie Block.

**Dylan Marvil: **Everyone's ranting about _Marvilous Marvils, _and Dylan couldn't be happier. But when the shooting schedules are cutting into her social life, she's starting to rethink that confidentiality contract she signed. Will she find a way to have a social life and be the star of _Marvilous Marvils?_

**Kristen Gregory:**She loves the fact that she's officially a Soccer Sister now. But during a particularly tough practice, she starts to lose the self-confidence that she had before. Is enduring weekend after weekend of hard practices really worth sacrificing time with the PC?

**Claire Lyons: **She's luh-ving her new house on Layne's street and the weekly photography classes with Cam. Layne-time and Cam-time are both really fun, but she's starting to miss the PC. They're slowly falling apart, and everyone knows it's because their alpha is gone. Can the PC still thrive without their alpha?


	2. ii

**A/N: **I have to leave for ballet soon, so I'll make this A/N snappy. Thanks so much for reviewing! Here's chapter 2. Enjoy, my lovelies!

[edited 7/27/13] I changed the format of this chapter and the next one, so now this chapter consists of only Massie's POV.

xo

* * *

**Somewhere over the Atlantic  
****First-class section  
****Saturday, January 15****th  
****9:15 P.M.**

Massie Block leaned back into her first-class leather seat, smiling as she looked down at the slip of paper in her hand where James had written down his phone number. She pulled out her iPhone and quickly entered the number. After typing in _James_, she paused. James hadn't given her his last name. But then again, Massie hadn't given him hers either.

Massie decided to let it slip. She made a mental note to ask him for his last name later. She pressed the Home button on her iPhone and opened up her notes. _James Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is, _she typed. _Rating: 9.6. Green eyes, brown hair. Tanned. A natural tan. __ Dimples. Blue Ralph Lauren sweater. Diesel jeans. Nike sneakers. Also goes to KISS._

She giggled. James would also be perfect for Alicia, because of the Ralph Lauren sweater. Suddenly, the smile on her face faded. Alicia . . . Massie wondered how her old beta was doing back in Westchester. One thought led to another, and before she was aware of it, she was thinking of Dylan, Kristen, and Kuh-laire. How were things back there? She had only been gone for a day, but she knew that things had to have changed somehow without her.

Massie flipped open her MacBook and clicked on "Pictures." She had made a special slideshow commemorating her friendship with the PC. She pressed "Play" and the memories started to whiz by. The New Year's Yves party where they first met, her first boy-girl Halloween party, on the set of _Dial L for Loser _in L.A., the trailers-turned-Tiffany's-boxes from the beginning of the year, and much more.

She felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, but quickly swiped them away with the sleeve of her Juicy hoodie. This was nawt the time to cry over her old friends. As the picture of the PC's final Friday night sleepover filled up her screen, Massie blew the screen an air-kiss. "Heart you guys," she muttered. With that said, she closed her MacBook and sighed. They didn't need her anymore, but London did.

Massie turned to stare out the window. She didn't make a sound as the plane flew in and out of clouds, passing through different time zones. She found herself slowly drifting to sleep.

A few hours later, the sound of Kendra Block's raspy voice woke Massie up. "Massie? Wake up, darling. We're getting ready for landing." Kendra reached over the seat and handed her a hairbrush. "You better brush your hair. Don't' want to go into a new country with a bedhead. Remember, first impressions are important!"

Massie took the brush and combed through her shiny brown locks. She stared out the window as the twinkling city lights of London came into view. Then, the lights brightened and then faded. Massie took that as a _Welcome to London _wink just for her.

Yes, London was ready for her. But was Massie ready for London?

* * *

**London, England  
****London Heathrow Airport  
****Sunday, January 16****th  
****11:30 A.M.**

After the Blocks finally exited the airport, Massie collapsed on top of her Louis Vuitton suitcases, peering through her Dior sunglasses. Despite the rays of sunshine illuminating her and everything around her, she yawned. Her internal body clock was still on Westchester time. It was still 5:30 in the morning back there. Massie had barely gotten enough sleep the night before they left, and her body was not coping well. All she wanted to do was take a long nap, but William Block had other plans for them.

"Da-ad!" Massie whined. "Do we have to go check in at your new business firm right now? I'm sleepy."

"Sorry, honey, but when else am I going to do it? I have to let them know that I've arrived safely," William Block said.

"Um, hello? Can't you just call them? That's what cell phones are for," Massie snapped.

"Massie." Kendra Block gave her cranky, sleep-deprived daughter a _look_. "I know this whole move is hard on you, but can you _please _just let us go with your father? After that, we'll drive to the castle, and you can sleep all you want."

"Fine." Massie huffed, and grabbed her suitcases. She trudged over to the waiting black stretch limo and handed her stuff to the driver, who put it in the trunk. She slid into the limo and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't utter a single word as they drove into the heart of London.

* * *

**London, England  
****The Block Castle  
****Sunday, January 16****th  
****1:00 P.M.**

"Ehmagawd," Massie gasped as the huh-yuge stone castle came into view. It was bigger than the Rivera estate and the old Block estate combined. And that was saying something, because Alicia's mansion was huh-yuge.

All Massie could do was stare at the acres of freshly mowed lawn, the rose bushes lining the castle, and the black iron gate that surrounded it. Her new home looked like something that came out of a fairytale. There was even a moat and drawbridge.

"Looks like Miss Cranky-pants has now becpme Miss Sunshine." Kendra came up behind her and squeezed Massie's shoulder. "Wait until you see the inside," she said with a wink. "You'll love it."

Massie slowly began to put one Prada heel in front of the other until she reached the giant front door. Kendra handed her the key, and Massie put it in the lock. The door swished open. Massie walked in, and stopped in the middle of the grand foyer. To the left of her was the kitchen, and it appeared to be stocked with tons of yummy treats. To the right of her was the living room, complete with plush leather couches and a giant flat-screen TV.

Massie took a few more steps. The dining room. The family room. "Go upstairs," Kendra urged. Massie cautiously ascended the stairs, and stared at the ten bedrooms that awaited her. "Where's mine?" she asked, eager to find out which one of these glorious bedrooms was hers.

"Right this way," Kendra said, motioning for Massie to follow her. When they came to a stop, Kendra twisted the doorknob and said, "Voila!"

Ehmagawd. It looked just like her old room, the iPad, back in Westchester. There was her fluffy purple duvet stuffed with goose down feathers covering her queen-sized bed. The nightstand was there, and the desk was too. Everything was there, even the Massiequin. The only thing that was different was the British flag pillow that sat on her bed. It looked out of place with all her other fluffy pillows, but at the same time, it looked nice. Sophisticated.

Massie strode over to her walk-in closet, which was at least 5 times bigger than her one back in Westchester. The hangers were all empty, but Massie soothed them. "Don't worry," she murmured. "Soon you'll have tons of designer clothing to hold." Massie sauntered over to the full-length mirror in the corner and checked her reflection. Wow. Her hair was a rat's nest, her face was makeup-free, and her Juicy hoodie was tear-stained. She looked nothing like her old self.

Massie decided to deal with that later. She turned around and half-ran, half-walked to her bed. She collapsed on the fluffy purple duvet, longing for some good ol' sleep.

The last thought she had before falling to sleep was _Man, I love England. _


	3. iii

**A/N: **Hey everyone, Rachel here. Here's chapter 3. Thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy, my lovelies!

[edited 7/27/13] So this chapter is now only the POVs of the girls in Westchester. :3

xo

* * *

**Westchester, NY  
****The Lyons [New] Residence  
****Saturday, January 15****th  
****9:30 P.M.**

"Clllllaaaaaiiiiirrrreeeee! Get back over here!" Layne Abeley giggle-yelled as she chased Claire Lyons around her new bedroom. She caught her and pinned her to the newly painted robin's-egg-blue wall. "Gotcha!"

Claire threw her hands up in defeat. "All right, all right. You got me. I hid the M&Ms in my pillow."

"I knew it!" Layne said, releasing her hold on Claire. She leapt onto Claire's fluffy robin's-egg-blue duvet that matched her walls perfectly, and shook the matching pillow. She ripped open the bag and popped a handful into her mouth. "Want some?" Layne held the bag out for Claire.

"No thanks." Claire sighed, plopping down on her bed.

"What's up with you lately? You've been refusing all of my candy offers," Layne said over another mouthful of M&Ms.

"Eating candy reminds me of _her_."

"Huh?" Layne crinkled her un-plucked eyebrows. "Massie doesn't even eat candy."

"I know, but at Friday night sleepovers, Dylan would totally pig out on candy and Massie would make up this whole game where she would ask Dylan a bunch of questions about fashion, and if she answered it right, she would get one M&M." Claire smiled at the memory. "We would have lots of laughs over that, because Dylan was just so desperate for candy!" She giggled.

"Come on, Claire, cheer up." Layne wiggled the bag in front of Claire's face. "You know you want some."

"I guess I could eat a few." Claire shrugged, and dug her hands into the bag.

"That's the spirit!" Layne patted her on the back.

Claire popped the M&Ms into her mouth one at a time, savoring the flavor of each and every one. If only she could do the same with PC moments.

* * *

**Westchester, NY  
****The Rivera Estate  
****Saturday, January 15****th  
****9:30 P.M.**

Alicia Rivera pirouetted around in her black snakeskin Marc Jacobs flats. She pulled out her phone and checked her messages. _Nuh-thing._

Alicia sighed and collapsed onto her huh-yuge king-sized bed. All she could think about was how the Pretty Committee did nawt have a sleepover yesterday, which was totally breaking tradition. But what could she have done? Kuh-laire was at photography class with Cam, Kristen was at Soccer Sisters practice, and Dylan was busy filming _Marvilous Marvils._

She eyed the charm bracelet that now adorned her tanned wrists. It still had traces of Chanel No. 5 perfume on it, which was Massie's signature perfume. Alicia missed her ah-lot (who wouldn't?), but she knew that Massie had her own life now, and she was totally going to become the London alpha. Alicia just knew it.

Suddenly, Alicia sat up. Was she going to give up just like that? If all her friends were busy and couldn't sleep over, Massie wouldn't just give up. Alicia grabbed her phone and fired off texts to the PC.

**Alicia: **U guys available 2mrw at 4? Outfit planning at my house. We gotta show the girls at OCD that we can still b fabulous w/o Mass. xo Leesh

_Ping!_

She immediately got three replies, one from Kristen, one from Claire, and one from Dylan.

**Kristen: **Soccer Sisters practice ends at 4 . . . I'll be there at 4:30.

**Claire: **Biking w/ Layne at 3:30. Will try my very best get there as fast as poss!

**Dylan: **Will try to convince the producers to let me go. Filming is tuff!

Alicia stared at the screen. She was already losing her grip on the Pretty Committee, and Massie had only been gone for a day. Alicia decided to put those troubles aside. She knew it wasn't alpha-like to procrastinate, but it seemed like she had no other choice.

* * *

**Westchester, NY  
****The Marvil Estate  
****Saturday, January 15****th  
****9:45 P.M.**

"Remember, Dylly, filming starts at 8 tomorrow!" Merri-Lee told her daughter, Dylan Marvil.

"I know, Mom. Now can I get some sleep?" Dylan yawned and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Yes, Dylly-pie. Good night, darling." Merri-Lee kissed her daughter on her forehead.

"'Night." Dylan trudged upstairs to her room. She slipped on a pair of satin pajamas and climbed into her comfy bed, and stretched out her tired legs. Who knew shooting a reality show would be so much work? But Dylan had seen all the nice reviews about _Marvilous Marvils_. She smiled to herself. She was the star of a new hit show. Dylan couldn't wait to attend the red-carpet premiere with the PC.

Suddenly, Dylan frowned. She missed her old alpha. Attending the red-carpet premiere wouldn't be the same without her. Massie would have made jokes about everyone's outfits, and the PC wouldn't laugh until their stomachs hurt. Dylan missed those times. She wished Massie had never moved . . .

* * *

**Westchester, NY  
****The Pinewood Apartments  
****Saturday, January 15****th  
****10:00 P.M.**

Kristen Gregory threw the piece of crumpled paper in her hand into the trash can. "Argh!" she screamed, frustrated. Her coach had entrusted her with making a game plan for their upcoming game in two weeks. It was a long way off, but the Soccer Sisters needed to start practicing if they wanted to win.

Kristen stared at the pile of crumpled pieces of paper sitting in her trash can. She had been sitting at her desk for hours, trying to come up with the perfect plan, but it just wasn't coming to her. Deciding she had had enough for one night, Kristen got up and padded over to her bed.

Beckham immediately leapt onto her lap and meowed. Kristen cracked a smile and stroked his fur. "Beckham, do you think I worked too hard today?"

"Meow?" Beckham cocked his head.

"I'll take that as a yes." Kristen giggled and leaned back. She deserved a break. She would continue this tomorrow.

Just as she was about to drift off into sleep, a thought filled her mind. Tomorrow was Alicia's outfit-planning meeting. She almost forgot. But she had soccer practice the entire morning, and part of the afternoon. When would she have time to work on the plan? Her coach expected it to be ready by next week.

Kristen dismissed that thought with a wave of her hand. She would worry about that later. What she needed now was sleep.

* * *

**Westchester, NY  
****The Rivera Estate  
****Sunday, January 16****th  
****4:30 P.M.**

"I'm here!" Kristen Gregory giggle-panted as she collapsed on the ground. "And ready to start outfit-planning!"

"Finally, Kris. How was soccer practice?" Dylan asked over a handful of Junior Mints.

"Good, I guess," Kristen said absentmindedly. Actually, her practice was anything but _good_. Their coach had made them run really tough drills today, and Kristen had almost fainted from all the exercise. On top of that, Coach Blake had yelled at her for not having the game plan ready, and Andrea had punched her in the exact same spot. It really hurt.

"Um, hullo, earth to Kristen!" Alicia snapped her fingers in Kristen's face, and she snapped back to reality.

"Oh, uh, sorry," she muttered.

"Anyway, now that we're all here, let's get down to business," Alicia said. "We have to make a good impression tomorrow."

"Ah-greed," Claire said. "We can still be hawt without Massie, right?"

Kristen and Dylan exchanged a glance. Claire wasn't usually this enthusiastic about fashion. What had happened to her?

"Right." Alicia flipped her shiny black hair over her shoulder. "So I was thinking that we should all coordinate outfits tomorrow. You know, so we really look like best friends?"

_Nawt a good enough reason_, Kristen thought. But Alicia was the alpha now, so she nodded yes in agreement. Claire and Dylan did the same.

"Okay, then. I took the liberty of going to Saks Fifth Avenue and buying outfits for all of us," Alicia said as she took out four shopping bags and passed them out to Dylan, Kristen, and Claire. They dug in the bags and each pulled out Alice + Olivia sweaters, True Religion jeans, and Ugg boots. Claire had a baby blue sweater that matched the color of her eyes, Dylan had a red sweater that matched her fiery hair perfectly, and Kristen had a green sweater that matched _her_ eyes.

The three of them stared at Alicia expectantly. "Well?" Dylan asked. "What about you?"

Alicia put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "Moi? I'll be wearing the exact same thing you guys are wearing, ahb-viously. Just in a different color." She reached into her bag and pulled out her True Religion jeans, Ugg boots, and Alice + Olivia sweater. Except Alicia's sweater was purple.

Kristen knew she did this because purple was the color of royalty, and it was also Massie's favorite color. She guessed Alicia was trying really hard to take over as alpha. But things would never be the same without Massie, their real alpha, and the PC knew it.

"Love it, Leesh," Kristen said. "It's nice and simple, which says 'I'm not worried that Massie's gone. I don't need to dress up. I'm doing perfectly fine without her.'"

Claire nodded in agreement. "It's hawt, but not too hawt. People won't think we're going overboard with our outfits or anything."

Alicia air-clapped in happiness. "Yay! Now, we're carpooling tomorrow, right?" The girls nodded. "Great. My driver, Dean, will be there to pick you up at 7:30. The order is Claire, Dylan, and then Kristen. Any questions."

The girls shook their heads. "Good," Alicia said.

"Um, Leesh?" Dylan said, looking up from her phone. "I just got a text from my mom. She wants me home for this 'special dinner segment' we're doing. Apparently, America wants to see the Marvils eat every single meal."

Before Alicia had a chance to respond, Kristen butted in. "Yeah, I guess I gotta go too. I have to finish coming up with a game plan for our game in two weeks."

"I'm meeting Cam at Sweetsations," Claire muttered.

Alicia's chocolate brown eyes drooped. She had prepared a playlist full of party tunes and lots of yummy snacks. She had expected the PC to stay until 8 or 9. "Okay. Guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"'Kay. Bye!" Dylan said, getting up.

"See ya tomorrow!" Kristen said, following Dylan.

"Thanks for the outfit!" Claire said.

"Bye, guys." Alicia closed the door behind them.

As Kristen got on her bright red bike parked outside the Rivera estate, she heaved a sigh. The PC had barely spent any time together this weekend. She just hoped everything would be fine tomorrow.


	4. iv

**A/N: Here's the 4th chapter (but really the 3rd...whatevs)! Note that London is 6 hours ahead of Westchester, so when it's 7:30 a.m. in London, it's ... 1:30 a.m. in Westchester. Just keep that in mind, kay? Enjoy, darlings! **

**xo**

* * *

**London, England**

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School (KISS)**

**Monday, January 17****th**

**7:30 A.M.**

Massie Block shuffled in her Tory Burch flats and re-applied a coat of Cinnamon Spice Glossip Girl. She glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror in Mrs. Dabney's office. She struck a supermodel pose and took a deep breath, pretending that she was back with the PC. "I, Massie Block, am modeling a navy blue BCBG sweater with a white Michael Kors blazer. I am also wearing dark wash Diesel skinny jeans. To top off the look, I am wearing black Tory Burch flats."

Massie imagined Alicia immediately blurting out, "9.8." Dylan, Kristen, and Claire would nod and she would breathe a sigh of relief. Then they would move on to Alicia, then Dylan, then Kristen, and finally, Claire. Massie sighed. Would she ever find friends like them again?

"Massie. I have been expecting you," Mrs. Dabney, the principal of Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School, or KISS, said. She sat down at her desk and motioned for Massie to take a seat across from her. Massie cautiously sat down and fake-smiled. "So, how are you today?" Mrs. Dabney asked.

"Fine," Massie said.

"Do you like London so far?" Mrs. Dabney asked as she got out a thick file from her cabinet, which Massie guessed was probably her school record. She gulped. What was Mrs. Dabney going to say when she found out that Massie had been suspended before?

"Yes, it's been great," Massie managed.

"Good, good." Mrs. Dabney reached into Massie's school file and pulled out some papers. "Hmm." She frowned. Massie gulped. This couldn't end well. "It says here that you've gotten quite a few detentions." She flipped the page. "And you got a D in algebra for the first semester. I'll have to put you in double period algebra."

Double period algebra? What was that? Massie crinkled her freshly waxed eyebrows. Oh well, at least Mrs. Dabney hadn't found out about her suspension yet . . .

Sensing Massie's confusion, Mrs. Dabney explained, "Double period algebra is when you take algebra twice a day. It's for people who are struggling and need extra help."

Massie felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart with those super cuh-yute 4-inch Marc Jacobs heels she had seen in the Westchester Mall. _People who are struggling? Extra help? _An alpha _never_ needed extra help. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She wasn't really that bad at algebra, she just didn't study or do her homework and pretended to not get it. But that was because she was always too busy shopping or watching the new episodes of _Gossip Girl _and _Pretty Little Liars. _

Massie couldn't tell Mrs. Dabney what she was thinking, because then she would be even more disappointed in Massie. So she calmly collected herself and said, "Sure."

"Excellent." Mrs. Dabney said, click-clacking on her MacBook. After a few seconds, she pressed a button and Massie saw something come out of the printer. Mrs. Dabney rushed over and grabbed it, handing it to Massie. "Here's your schedule, Ms. Block. And here's a map of the school." Massie stared at the map. This school was huh-yuge! "James Weinstein will be your personal guide. He'll show you around school and walk you to all your classes." Mrs. Dabney stood up. "He's waiting outside the door. Have a great day, Massie, and good luck!" She left, leaving Massie stunned and alone.

As soon as she was gone, Massie stared at her schedule.

1st period – French (room 211)

2nd period – Art (room 111)

3rd period – Algebra (room 203)

4th period – Social Studies (room 255)

Lunch

5th period – English (room 216)

6th period – Algebra (room 203)

7th period – Science (room 106)

Her schedule wasn't _that _bad, except for the two periods of algebra part. She sighed and shoved it in her Prada bag. She walked out of the principal's office and almost ran into James. "Whoa, careful there!" he said teasingly.

Massie giggled and blushed. James was a hawtie, that's for sure. And now he was going to show her around school? Perf.

"So, Massie Block, welcome to London. You like it here so far?" James said.

"Too soon to tell. I've only been here one day, and I spent most of it sleeping." Massie said.

James smiled. "I get it. Well, we better get going. It's 7:50, and first period starts at 8. Wouldn't want to be late on your first day."

"Okay." Massie nodded.

"So, can I see your schedule?" James asked.

Massie handed it over. "Why don't you guys have P.E. at KISS?"

"I'm not really sure. I think our founders didn't believe in physical education or something, so they didn't make it a course. But there are sports teams and after-school yoga and Pilates clubs, if you want to join."

"I'll consider it," Massie said. "Now, how do do you get to room 211?"

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**The Rivera Estate**

**Monday, January 17****th**

**7:30 A.M.**

"Alicia, hurry up! George is waiting!" Nadia Rivera yelled.

"Coming!" Alicia yelled back. She ran down the stairs and pulled on her Uggs when she got to the door. "Bye, Mom! Love you!" She pushed open the door and ran into the freezing winter air. Alicia shivered, wishing she had remembered to tell the PC to wear a jacket. But they were going to be inside all day, so did it really matter?

George opened the car door and Alicia stepped in. She checked the clock. 7:31 a.m. Ugh. She was late on _the _most important day of the year. After Christmas, New Year's, the first day of her school, and her birthday, of course. Today was the day that Alicia would show OCD a new alpha. And she was _late. _

_ Ping! _

She fished her phone out of her brown leather Marc Jacobs bag. She had four text messages.

**Claire: **Where r u?

** Dylan: **Kuh-laire told me that u still hadn't picked her up yet. Come awn, Leesh, do you want me to freeze to death?

**Kristen: **U better hurry Leesh. We're waiting.

**Massie: **Leesh – how's Westchester? Sry I haven't texted in so long, I slept the whole day yesterday. Can you say jet lag? Anyway, I h8 this time diff. It's 1:30 pm in London and I'm sitting in English being bored 2 death. How's the PC? Miss ya. xo Mass

"George, can you go a little bit faster?" Alicia leaned forward in her seat and pleaded.

"Sit down and buckle your seatbelt, Ms. Rivera," George said.

Sheesh. Anti-social much? Alicia sat back down in her seat and buckled her seatbelt. She picked up her phone and fired off replies.

**Alicia: **Sry guys. Slight wardrobe malfunction this morning. I'll be there ay-sap!

**Alicia: **Hey, Mass. Westchester is fine, and the PC is 2. Awwww poor u. You'll adjust soon, I know u can. Miss ya too! Oh, and btw, did u really meet someone named James?

Alicia checked the time on her iPhone. 7:33 a.m.

_Ping!_

**Claire: **Kaykay. C ya in a few!

**Dylan: **U better. My butt is sticking to the ground.

_Why is Dylan on the ground? _Alicia thought. She quickly moved on.

**Kristen: **I just hope we're nawt late 4 skl …

**Massie: **Yeah, there's this guy named James Weinstein, and he's showing me around KISS. More deets l8r. Don't txt back cuz the teach is coming.

Alicia shoved her phone back into her bag as George pulled up in front of the Lyonses' new house. George honked once. "Kuh-laire!" Alicia screamed.

Claire immediately dashed out of the house and made a beeline for the car. "Hey, Leesh," she said, out of breath. "We better hurry. Class starts at 8."

"I know, I know," Alicia said absentmindedly. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the Marvil estate. Dylan got on, and they drove off. Another few minutes later, they arrived at the Pinewood, and Kristen got on. Alicia checked the time. 7:50 a.m. They had 10 minutes to get to school. "GEORGE! FASTER PUH-LEASE!"

No answer.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Octavian Country Day. The PC quickly got off and powerwalked into the building. 7:56 a.m. "Hurry, we gotta get to class," Alicia said.

As they powerwalked through the halls of OCD, Alicia noticed that both the school and the students had changed. Everyone was walking around with a glum look on their face, and the LBRs didn't even bother with their outfits. That was strange. When Massie was still here, all the LBRs would dress in their best to try to impress the alpha. Even the school was looking gloomy. The paint on the walls was starting to chip, and the lockers looked faded. Alicia knew this was because of Massie's absence, but was the alpha really capable of _this_?

Her powerwalk slowed down to a stroll. Was she really that different from Massie? She didn't know Massie's absence could have such a big impact on the student population of OCD. Alicia sighed and stopped in front of her locker. Massie would always be the alpha. As she stared to turn the dial, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of first period.

And Alicia would always be late.


	5. v

**A/N: So I think I've kinda figured out an update schedule. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you get an update. That is, if everything goes according to plan and stuff. Sometimes I might not follow the schedule. Take this week, for example. I have to write this English essay that I have no idea how to do - it's really hard - and it's due Wednesday. So there might not be an update Wednesday, sorry guys. But meanwhile, you can enjoy this chapter. It's longer than the other ones, and that's cause I just couldn't stop writing this one. Enjoy!**

**Kisses!**

**-Rachel**

* * *

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**The Café **

**Monday, January 17****th**

**11:20 A.M. **

Massie Block pushed open the double doors to the café. She walked in uncertainly and gasped. The Café at KISS was nothing like the New Green Café at OCD. OCD's Café had mini vegetable gardens, bamboo tables and chairs, an old-fashioned stagecoach, and chalkboard signs that listed the day's specials. The Café at KISS looked kinda like her room at home. It was all white, with splashes of purple thrown in there. The architects who designed this place must have read that article in _Us Weekly _about how purple is the color of royalty. Wait a second. Did they even have _Us Weekly _in London?

The lunch line was filled with salads and low-calorie foods. There wasn't a trace of ice cream or any other dessert anywhere. The tables were white, and there were matching white stools. There weren't any vegetable gardens around, just a spa in the corner. Wait a second. A _spa_? In the _cafeteria? _The sign above it said, _Done eating? Come visit the spa! _Massie squealed. She made a mental note to visit the spa after she finished eating.

She looked around at the students. They were all prim and proper, and no one was screaming. No one looked like an LBR from the outside, but you can't judge a book by its cover. Massie was certain some of them were really geeks on the inside. She glanced at her new Coach watch, a going-away present from Alicia. It read 11:23 a.m. People in Britain sure ate early.

"Um, excuse me." girl wearing a Stella McCartney dress shuffled past Massie. She realized that she was blocking the doorway and quickly moved aside. She whipped her head around to study the tables. Where she sat today was crucial. Sitting at a dorky table would be social suicide. Whereas, sitting at a cool table would mean alpha status for the rest of the year. Massie spotted a group of girls sitting by the spa. She squinted and noticed that their table card read _Table 20 reserved for the London Girls. _Um, London Girls? Massie snickered. Nice clique name.

She immediately crossed Table 20 off her mental list of potential tables. Those girls would definitely not accept her into their group. Massie sighed. So this was how Claire felt on her first day of seventh grade. Except Claire knew someone, and that someone was Massie. Massie knew someone too, but James was a _boy_. Sitting with her "personal guide" would scream _I'm a loser! I have no friends! _Which was kind of true. The "no friends" part, of course. Massie Block was definitely nawt a loser.

Massie silently cursed herself. She had thought that starting at a new school in the middle of the school year would be an easy breeze. She knew now how very wrong she was. Being the new student was hard times 10. It was even harder when you were from another country. Massie's amber eyes searched the Café again. She found some vacant tables, but sitting by herself would also scream _Loser! _

She heard someone sitting at Table 1 snicker. Massie glared at her. The girl who snickered had blond braids and was wearing last season's Marc Jacobs dress. She wasn't a threat at all. The girl smirked and said, "Hey, you're that girl from New York, aren't you? I would invite you to sit with us, but, you know, we don't sit with losers."

Massie felt like she'd been slapped across the face. She took a deep, calming breath and re-applied a coat of Glossip Girl. "Did I invite you to my barbecue?"

Blondie exchanged a confused glance with her LBR friends. "No."

"Then why are you all up in my grill?" Massie lifted up her palm for a round of high-fives from the PC, but then she realized that they weren't there. She slowly lowered her palm and sashayed away, leaving Blondie stunned.

As she sauntered away, Massie realized that she still didn't have a place to sit. She peered around again, but she couldn't find a good enough table. She felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, threatening to ruin her mascara. Massie blinked once to get rid of them. She couldn't let anyone see her cry. She dug into her limited edition Prada bag and pulled out her iPhone. Hands shaking, she fired off a text to Claire.

**Massie: **Well, I'm at KISS right now and it's lunchtime. Can you buh-lieve that they eat at 11:20 here? My classes have been gr8 so far, and I met this super hawt guy (more deets l8r). Miss ya! Kisses! – M

Massie shoved her phone back into her bag and reglossed again. She had three options right now:

Find some girls who are sitting alone and form a clique with them,

Ask someone if she could sit with them, or

Eat lunch in the girls' bathroom on the second floor.

She immediately ruled out option c. Over her dead body would she eat in the bathroom like an LBR. Option b was out too. She would never become the alpha of a clique if she asked to _join _one. That left option a. No, that wasn't good either. If you were sitting by yourself that could only mean one thing: You were an LBR. And Massie Block would _never _befriend LBRs. Ever.

Suddenly, Massie felt a tap on her shoulder. She whirled around and found herself face-to-face with a blonde girl. She was skinny and had Tiffany's-box-blue doe eyes. She was wearing a Theory cardigan over black skinny jeans, which were tucked into Bailey Button Uggs. She had a pink streak in her hair which would've looked horrible on anyone else, but she managed to pull it off. "Hey," the girl said, holding out her hand. "I'm Julia Winters."

"Massie Block." Massie grasped her hand and shook it firmly. "I'm new here."

"Really? Same. It's my first day," Julia said.

"Ehmagawd, mine too! Where are you from?"

"Beverly Hills, California. You?"

"Westchester, New York." Massie couldn't believe her luck. New girls were the best option for when you were new yourself. And Julia Winters would make the perfect beta to her alpha. Her clothes were all designer, and she didn't look like an LBR. Massie might have just found a new best friend.

"So, you wanna sit together?" Julia said, gesturing to the empty Table 15.

"Sure, _pourquoi__ pas?_" Massie smiled and led the way to the table. She and Julia were the only two people there, but Massie didn't care. She had found a friend, and that's what really mattered, right?

* * *

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**The Front Lawn**

**Monday, January 17****th**

**2:40 P.M.**

"Massie!" Massie whipped her head around at the sound of her name. It was Julia. She smiled at the sight of her new LBFF (London BFF). "Hey, Jules!" she called.

"Hey," Julia said, panting and out of breath. "'Sup?"

"Oh, nothing much. You?" Massie said, eyeing the girl who stood behind Julia. The girl had caramel-colored hair and sea green eyes. She was dressed in Ralph Lauren from head to toe, just like Alicia. Her hair was professionally straightened and she had manicured nails. Massie decided that she liked this girl.

"Well, I spent all of algebra talking with this girl. Her name's Vanessa. Vanessa Peterson. She's new too, but she came to London last week," Julia said, following Massie's gaze.

"Hey," Vanessa said shyly.

"Vanessa, this is Massie. She's from Westchester, New York," Julia said, gesturing towards Massie.

"Hey, Vanessa. So, are you new too?" Massie asked.

"Yeah, I'm from Chicago," Vanessa said.

"Oh, so you're a city girl." Massie raised her eyebrows.

"Yup."

Massie thought that Vanessa would make the perfect gamma. She reached toward her wrist for her charm bracelet, but then she remembered that she gave it to Alicia. She sighed. Her ex-beta just kept popping into her head today.

"Hey guys, listen. I have to go now, my driver's waiting for me. Text you later?" She suddenly remembered that she hadn't gotten Vanessa's number. "Vanessa? Can I have your phone number?"

"Sure," Vanessa said and wrote it down. "Call or text anytime."

Massie shoved the slip of paper in her Prada bag. "'Kay. Bye guys!" She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and waved goodbye. She strolled over to the Block's new Range Rover and slid into the car. Her dad, William Block, started up the car and asked, "So, how was your first day? Make any new friends?"

"It was good, I guess. I'm in double period algebra, though." Massie winced at the thought. "And yeah, I made a few friends." She leaned back in the leather seat and smiled, remembering her conversation with Julia in the Café today. They had talked forever, and had discussed everything, from designer outfits to their lives back home. Massie had learned that Julia was an only child (just like her), her favorite color was blue, and that she was a dancer. They had bonded really quickly and talked until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Massie hadn't eaten anything, but she didn't feel hungry at all. Instead she felt full. Full of happiness.

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**The Marvil Estate**

**Monday, January 17****th**

**3:30 P.M.**

"Mom, I'm hoooooooooooome!" Dylan burped. Alicia, Kristen, and Claire giggled behind her. Suddenly aware that they were being filmed, the PC finger-combed their hair and pulled out their compact mirrors to touch up on their makeup. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the producer screamed, "Aaaaaand cut! Great job, Dylan. Let's do it again, from the top."

Dylan retreated back out the door and re-entered. "Mom, I'm hoooooooooooome!" she burped. Then she did it again. And again. And again. Finally, after the tenth take, the producer yelled, "And that's it! Thanks, Dyl."

Dylan just rolled her eyes and led the PC into the kitchen. They had had a long day today, and all she wanted to do was pig out on junk food. Note how she said "she" and not "they." No, the PC had no interest in eating junk food. Well, maybe except for Claire, but she mainly ate gummies.

Dylan opened the cabinet and grabbed a jumbo bag of Barbecue Lays. She dug her hand into the bag and grabbed a few chips. "Want some?" She held out the bag for the Pretty Committee.

"No thanks," Alicia said, wrinkling her ski-slope nose. "I have a huh-yuge dance competition this weekend, so I'm trying not to eat junk food."

"Okay. Your loss." Dylan tossed her red curls over her shoulder. "So, did you guys notice anything _different _about OCD today?"

"Well, I guess the students have been acting strangely . . ." Claire piped up.

"The LBRs? Yeah, totally. They're actually talking to us now," Kristen said.

"Today, in math, one of them actually asked me if they could borrow a pencil. I mean, what is up with that?" Alicia said.

"What did you say?" Kristen asked.

"I told them 'if you don't shut up right now, I am going to make you write with your own blood.' Alicia giggled. "But she didn't really seem scared."

"I know, right? Usually they try to avoid us, but today they seemed friendly." Dylan popped another handful of chips in her mouth.

Kristen snorted. "It's like they think they can be civil to us when Massie's gone."

"Massie just radiates 'alpha.' Everyone worships her from afar," Claire said.

Alicia lifted up her finger. "Point," she said, smiling at Claire. "So what we have to do is make up snappy comebacks and make ourselves seem more alpha-ish. We're the It group of OCD. And nuh-thing is going to change that, right girls?" The PC nodded. "Good. Dyl, let's go to your room." Dylan led the way upstairs to her bedroom. The girls plopped down onto Dylan's comforter. "Dyl, can you get your laptop?" Dylan reluctantly got up and retrieved her laptop from her desk. "Gracias," Alicia blew her an air-kiss. She powered up Dylan's MacBook Pro and double-clicked on "Skype." She immediately found Massie's username and clicked on it.

"Um, Leesh, what are you doing?" Dylan asked uncertainly.

"Relax, Dylly. I thought you all wanted to talk to Mass. We haven't heard from her since Friday, and that was the day before she left. Don't you wanna hear what London's like?" Alicia said.

"Massie already texted me about it." Claire picked at her cuticles.

"Kuh-laire, texting isn't the same as talking in person, you know." Alicia rolled her chocolate brown eyes. She turned her attention back to the laptop screen just as Massie's face appeared. "Hey, Mass!"

"Hey!" The rest of the PC chorused.

"Hey, guys." Massie yawned. "You caught me just in time. I was about to go to sleep."

Alicia took a closer look and noticed that Massie was wearing her Diane von Furstenberg silk pajamas. Oops. She had forgotten about the time difference. But wasn't London only six hours ahead? It couldn't be that late. "Oh, right, the time difference," Alicia said.

"So, how was your first day at KISS?" Kristen chirped.

"Okay, I guess."

"What happened?" Dylan asked curiously.

"You want the full story?" The girls nodded. "Okay then, here I go." Massie took a deep breath. "This morning, I had a meeting with the principal to discuss my school schedule. Well, she saw my grades and put me in double period algebra. Which means I have to take algebra two times a day. And that really sucks, because I was totally planning on taking that fashion design course. Ehmagawd, KISS has _the _coolest elective choices. Anyway, where was I? Oh right, double period algebra. So yeah, I had to take algebra during periods 3 and 6. But guess what hawtie is showing me around school?"

"James?" Claire almost choked. "So Hermia's prediction was right?"

"Oui." Massie said, smiling. "So he walked me to all my classes and gave me a tour of the school. And let me tell you, it's huh-yuge! Even bigger than my new castle. Speaking of my new castle, I'll be right back. Gotta post some pics on Twitter." Massie winked. The girls squealed. Dylan grabbed one of Claire's gummies, ignoring the look of protest on her face. She couldn't wait to see what Massie's new castle looked like. A few minutes later, Massie said, "Back! Okay, so my morning was fine. But then I get to the cafeteria for lunch and I have no idea where to sit. Kuh-laire, I know how you felt on your first day." Massie sent her a pity-smile. "London is so different from Westchester. Everyone at KISS is pretty well-dressed, and they're all prim and proper. No one seemed like potential friends, though, so I just stood there like a total LBR. Did you know they have a spa? Anyway, so this girl comes up to me and goes like, 'Hey, you're the new girl, aren't you? I would invite you to sit with us, but we don't sit with _losers_,'" Massie said, putting emphasis on the "losers" part.

The Pretty Committee gasped. How dare someone treat Massie like that!

"So I said, 'Did I invite you to my barbecue? Then why are you all up in my grill?'" Massie continued. The PC snickered. "She was totally embarrassed after that, and never talked to me again that day." The PC applauded. Massie took a bow. "Just as I was about to give up, this girl named Julia Winters came up to me and asked if I wanted to sit with her. She was also new, and she was from Beverly Hills. We totally bonded during lunch and in science class. She's my lab partner. After school, Julia came up to me and there was this girl behind her. She introduced her to me, and it turns out that the other girl was also new. Her name's Vanessa Peterson and she's from Chicago. She came to KISS last week."

"I guess your day wasn't that bad after all," Alicia said, smiling. "While _our _day was absolutely horrible."

Massie laughed. "Really? Do tell."

"Okay." Alicia stretched out her legs. "Well, since you weren't there, all the LBRs thought they could, you know, actually talk to us and stuff. Instead of worshipping us from afar, like they did when you were still here, they actually had the guts to get near us. One even asked me for a pencil."

"Really? Wow," Massie giggled.

"It's nawt funny," Alicia crossed her arms over her chest. "It felt like we were losing our power. They don't respect us anymore, Mass. Everyone misses you. Westchester misses you. We need you. Why did you have to move? You could've stayed in Claire's house."

"Oh, Leesh. I know I could've stayed, but I felt like it was the right choice. It was time to move on with my life, you know? Life gave me an opportunity, and I took it. Things change, Alicia. I've changed. We've changed. You're gonna have to start taking on the role of alpha."

"I'm trying, I'm trying," Alicia whined. "But it's nawt working. I need advice. How do I make the people at OCD realize that I'm the alpha now?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." And with that, Massie signed off, leaving a dumbstruck Alicia and a confused Kristen, Dylan, and Claire.

"Chips, anyone?" Dylan broke the silence by holding out her bag of Barbecue Lays.

"Sure, why not?" Alicia said, digging in. After all, didn't Dylan always say people thought better when she ate? Well, Alicia needed help thinking of what to do about this whole crisis. She needed all the help she could get.

* * *

**So there you have it. Question: Do you like long chapters or short chapters? If you said long chapters, how long? Please review and tell me! I need your advice! **

**xoxo**


	6. vi

**A/N: Well, I finally finished this one. You might wanna ignore the update schedule I posted in the last chapter...you guys want longer chapters, so that'll take me longer. So yeah. Everyone wanted a different chapter length, so this is kinda like a compromise. About 3,000 words. I might just do this for every chapter. What do you guys think? Is 3,000 words fine? Tell me in a review! **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**London, England**

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**Friday, January 21****st**

**2:35 P.M.**

Massie Block drummed her French manicured nails on the desk. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 2:35 P.M. She sighed. She couldn't wait for this day to end. She had had a long week, and all she wanted to do was go to her new favorite spa and then go shopping at the London Mall. Vanessa had said that it was the best shopping mall ever, with all the designer stores. Massie couldn't wait to explore it.

She pulled out her iPhone and fired off a text to Julia.

**Massie: **Jules – Serenity Spa this afternoon?

Massie giggled. It was kind of ironic how her new favorite spa in London had the same name as her old favorite spa in Westchester. She guessed the universe was telling her that some things never change.

_Ping! _

**Julia: **Sure. Sleepover at your house after?

Massie suddenly remembered her offer to host a Friday night sleepover. It was what she did in Westchester, so she wanted to continue it in London. She already had the snacks and music planned out. She had three sleeping bags ready for her, Julia, and Vanessa. She had made a mental list of conversation topics inside her head. She had compiled a list of games they could play. She had laid out the latest issues of _Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, People, _and other magazines. She had taken out her entire collection of Essie nail polish and Glossip Girl lip gloss. Everything was perfect. It felt like old times, planning out Friday night sleepovers like this.

**Massie: **Yup. Bring ur pj's and a toothbrush, u don't need anything else.

_Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! _The school bell rang, signaling the end of Massie's first week at KISS. She gathered up her things and shoved them into her Coach Madison Whipstitch tote. She pulled out her iPhone and fired off another text to Julia.

**Massie: **Where r u? Meet me in front of the building, stat.

Massie confidently strolled out the classroom door and headed for the front door. The strange thing about KISS was that they didn't have lockers. In the handbook, it states that KISS "requires its students to carry around their personal belongings in a tote bag." In a way, this was a good thing, because it meant Massie could show off her ah-mazing taste in totes all day. It was also a bad thing because her arm got _really _tired from carrying around her books all day.

Massie pushed open the door and stepped outside, inhaling the frosty winter air. She shifted nervously in her Marc Jacobs high heel cowboy boots, and searched the grounds for her new BFFs. Where were they? Massie was just about to send another text to Julia and Vanessa, when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She whirled around and there they were. Massie released the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Hey girlies, you ready for the spa?"

Julia and Vanessa nodded and followed Massie to the New Range Rover. They slid in the backseat, dropping their designer totes next to them. Massie sank back in her seat and relaxed every limb in her body. She deserved a break. This week had been hard, but then again, when has transferring to a new school in the middle of the year ever been easy?

* * *

**The Block Castle**

**Massie's Bedroom**

**Friday, January 21****st**

**8:14 P.M.**

"How's this?" Vanessa stepped out of Massie's humongous walk-in closet modeling a Dolce & Gabbana pale pink ruffle dress and GUESS strappy evening sandals.

"Hmmm." Massie pursed her lips. She applied another coat of Cotton Candy Glossip Girl and tapped her chin with her French manicured fingernail. "The dress is too girly. Too ruffly. But love the sandals."

Vanessa sighed and plopped down on her sleeping bag. "I've tried on eight outfits, Mass. When will you ever tell us what this is for?"

"Soon." Massie turned her head to examine Julia's outfit. She was wearing a turquoise BCBG dress and Christian Louboutin filos. "Perfect, Jules. The only thing missing is a bag. Here." Massie picked up a turquoise Versace leather shoulder bag and handed it to her. "Much better."

"Thanks, Mass." Julia's Tiffany's-box-blue eyes filled with appreciation. "So can you _please _tell us what all these outfits are for?"

"Okay, okay, fine. I'll tell you after we find the perfect dress for Vanessa." Massie glided over to her walk-in closet and pulled out a pink Michael Kors one-shouldered stretch-jersey dress. "Try this on," she ordered. Vanessa quickly slipped into the walk-in closet and shut the door behind her. A few seconds later, she came back out and struck a pose. "Perfect," Massie said. She air-clapped and sauntered over to her own sleeping bag.

"_Now _can you tell us?" Vanessa begged. "Julia and I both found the perfect outfits already."

"Of course. After all, an alpha never breaks a promise," Massie said. "Okay, so you know how we're the new girls?" Julia and Vanessa nodded. "Well, people only know us as the 'new girls from across the pond,' right?" More nods. "So we gotta change that. We're nawt gonna let them label us as the 'girls from across the pond' our whole lives, right?"

"Uh, Mass?" Julia sheepishly said. "I don't mean to interrupt, but where are you going with all of this."

"Just listen. You'll see." Massie cocked her hip. "Now, where was I? Oh, right. We gotta change our label to 'alphas.' But how do we do that if we're in unfamiliar territory?" Julia and Vanessa exchanged a confused glance. Massie went on. "So we have to show everyone that we're the new alphas. In the short week I've been here, I've noticed that there isn't really an 'It' group. Everyone treats each other equally, and no clique is above the rest. And we want that clique to be us. The alphas."

"Point." Julia raised her index finger just like Alicia would. Massie suddenly noticed how alike Julia and Alicia were. They were both dancers, they were both her betas, they both said "point" like that . . . the only difference was that Julia had blond hair and Alicia had black hair. And the fact that Alicia had brown eyes. _And_ Alicia was from Spain. Okay, so maybe they weren't really that much alike, but so what? Massie needed every reminder of the past she could get.

"So what's your plan?" Vanessa said, tearing open a bag of Skittles with her teeth, just like Dylan would. Aside from the hair, eyes, and clothing, Vanessa was exactly like Dylan. From her week at KISS, Massie had learned that Vanessa ate when she was upset, just like how Massie shopped when _she _was upset. Vanessa was also very cautious about her weight. Her mom also had her own TV show, _Good Morning England_. Her mom had worked in London her whole life, but Vanessa's dad wanted her to get an education in Chicago. That had worked out for about 13 years; until Vanessa's mom decided she needed to spend more time with her daughter, and had her fly out to London and start school there. Massie wondered if she only chose these girls because they reminded her of her old friends, but she quickly waved that thought away. These girls had come to _her_, not the other way around.

Turning her attention back to the sleepover, Massie said, "My plan is to throw the best party in the history of parties. A party that everyone will rant about it for the next few _years_."

"That's sheer brill!" Julia said. "They'll surely remember us after that."

Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Totes." She reached her hand into the bag and pulled out a bunch of Skittles. "Have you figured out the party details yet?"

"Not yet. That's what I need you guys for." Massie smiled at her two new best friends. "Got any ideas?"

"Hmm." Julia tapped her chin, deep in thought. "I know! How about on a cruise ship?"

"Where are we going to find a cruise ship? We're in London," Massie snapped.

"What about here, at the Block castle? It's big and perfect for parties. I bet no one else at KISS lives in a castle," Vanessa said, shoving the Skittles in her mouth.

Massie smile-thanked her gamma. "Now _that's _sheer brill. Simple, but nawt too simple. Formal, but nawt too formal. Everyone will be raving about my castle for a long time. Has anyone ever thrown a party in a castle – besides the queen? I think nawt. Perfect, Vanessa."

Vanessa rewarded herself with another huge handful of Skittles. "Okay, so who are we inviting?"

"I was thinking everyone in the grade. No, better yet, the school!" Massie's amber eyes brightened.

"Are you sure you want to invite everyone in the school? You barely even know everyone in your classes. Don't get too confident, Mass. You're going way too far," Julia said.

"Julia, am I a contestant on _American Idol_?" Massie said.

"No."

"Then don't judge me. Back home, I organized a Ho Ho Homeless party for charity. That involved way more people than the student population at KISS. So if I can pull that off, I can totally pull this off."

Julia looked stunned. She recoiled slowly and sank into her sleeping bag. "Okay, okay. Let's move on. When's it gonna be?"

"Hmm. How about in 2 weeks? That gives us more than enough time to plan." Massie plodded over to her white desk and retrieved her purple notepad and her purple sparkly pen. On the top of her personalized notepad she wrote _Massie's Party_. Then she jotted down everything the girls had said so far.

"Hey, Mass? So what were those dresses for?" Vanessa asked.

"Oh, those? What you'll be wearing to the party, ahb-viously. Hey, it's never too late to start planning the perfect outfit! Okay, what else do you have?" Massie returned back to her sleeping bag and positioned her right hand, ready to write. As she jotted down their ideas, she began to feel more and more at home with these girls. She had only known them for a week, but it felt like they had been best friends since the beginning of time.

* * *

**The Westchester Mall**

**Saks Fifth Avenue**

**Friday, January 21****st**

**5:00 P.M.**

"Ehmagawd," Claire Lyons exclaimed as she checked out the price tag on a black Alice + Olivia open-shoulder silk top. "How can this thing be _$198.00_?"

"Come awn, Kuh-laire. That's nawt even that expensive," Alicia Rivera said, rolling her chocolate brown eyes.

"Well, it is to me." Claire looked down at the ground.

Alicia scanned her outfit. "Of course, considering the fact that you still shop at Target."

"Forever 21!" Claire insisted.

"Whatever." Alicia rolled her eyes again.

Claire put down the top and sighed. "I don't get why you guys have to shop when you're upset."

"It's just something we do. Like how you eat gummies when you're upset," Dylan said, grabbing a black Vince cropped bouclé jacket.

"Don't bother trying that on," Kristen commented. "Three quarter sleeves don't look well on you."

Dylan tried it on anyway. "Who died and made you the fashion expert?" "You don't have to be an expert to know that those boots do nawt complement that top," Kristen said, looking Dylan up and down.

"Um, excuse me? My personal stylist chose this out for me." Dylan crossed her arms over her chest.

"Really?" Kristen raised an eyebrow. "I hate to say this, but your mom has really bad taste in stylists." She laughed her phlegmy laugh.

"That's it! I'm okay with you insulting my fashion choices, but you can nawt—"

"Enough!" Alicia hollered. "You two, stop arguing and shop! We need to look fantastic for next week."

"Um, Leesh, in case you haven't noticed, 'looking fantastic' hasn't helped us one single bit. Nothing's changed since Monday," Kristen said.

"That doesn't mean we have to stop looking fantastic." Alicia pulled out a blue Ralph Lauren cashmere ballet-neck top and added it to her pile of clothes. "I'm going to the dressing room to try these on, you coming?" Kristen and Dylan trudged after her with their own piles of clothing. Claire was the only one who stayed.

As she fingered the price tag on a See by Chloe mixed pattern sweater, Claire sighed. It had been like this all week. Nonstop arguing, insults being thrown around, and shopping when they were upset. The Pretty Committee was falling apart without Massie, and Alicia, Kristen, and Dylan knew it too. Yet they did nothing to try to prevent another PC fight. Claire rubbed her throbbing temples and pulled out her stash of gummies from her jeans pocket. The sugar instantly calmed and energized her. She went over to the shoe section and stared at a pair of Christian Louboutin leather ankle boots until Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen came back.

"Ehmagawd, Leesh, you're seriously nawt getting those Jimmy Choo pumps? They're adorable!" Dylan said.

"I'm nawt getting them, and that's final. They're too bright, and they don't go with anything in my current wardrobe." Alicia tossed her long black locks over her shoulder. "But you can buy them, if you want."

"Really? 'Kay!" Dylan grabbed the pumps and raced to the checkout line. Alicia and Kristen ran after her. Claire reluctantly got up and followed them, even though she wasn't buying anything. Feeling bored, she pulled out her phone and checked her Twitter. She checked on the pictures of the Block castle that Massie had posted, and saw that there were already a lot of comments. She scrolled through them:

_Omigosh, I'm so jelly! Can't believe you live there. _ _ I wish I lived there. _ _ That's the biggest castle I have ever seen. It's amazing!_

A comment at the very bottom caught her eye.

_I would kill to live there. It's the best home ever. But hey, only the best castle for the best alpha, right? OCD misses you! You'll always be the alpha._

"Um, Alicia?" Claire said.

"What is it now, Kuh-laire? I told you, if you don't want to shop, you can just wait outside." Alicia shifted her clothes from one arm to the other and glared at Claire.

"I think you better see this." Claire hesitantly handed the phone over to Alicia. "It's the pictures Massie posted of her new castle."

As she read the comment, Alicia's chocolate brown eyes widened. "Eh. Ma. Gawd," she breathed.

"What happened?" Dylan asked, peering over Alicia's shoulder. "Ehmagawd. Kris, you'd better see this." Kristen walked over to the three girls and read the comment. Her mouth formed an O.

"This is all wrong," Alicia said. "_Hermia _was wrong. She said I would rise to power and become the alpha. But everyone still thinks she's the alpha." Alicia's chocolate brown eyes filled with sadness.

"Well, you can't just expect to become the alpha just like that." Kristen snapped her fingers. "Remember how hard Massie worked? You can't just become the alpha by sitting around all day."

"You've got a point there," Alicia mused. "So what should I do?"

Dylan shrugged. "I don't know, you're the alpha. I mean, beta. 'Cause you're nawt the alpha yet, you know. No offense."

Claire checked her watch. _5:45. _"Um, guys? I better go. I have to eat dinner, and then I have photography class at 7. With Cam."

"Oh, that's right," Alicia said. "What about the sleepover? When will you be there?"

Ehmagawd, the sleepover! Claire had forgotten all about it. "Um, around 8:30?" she guessed. "I don't really know, since this is only the first class. It was cancelled the past 2 weeks because apparently, there was a huge snowstorm in Iceland, where the teacher was staying. So yeah, we're starting today."

"Okay. Well, see ya." Alicia waved goodbye. Claire gave them a half-smile, then turned on the heel of her Keds and walked out of the store. She pulled out her phone and called her mom to come pick her up. Judi Lyons said that she would be there in 15 minutes. Claire shoved her phone back in her pocket and collapsed onto one of the mall benches. Shopping was really tiring, even though she didn't buy anything.

* * *

**The Rivera Estate**

** Screening Room**

** Friday, January 21st **

**9:01 P.M.**

Alicia Rivera popped the disc into the DVD player and settled back down on the couch. She snuggled into the pillows, ignoring the crunching noises Dylan was making next to her. All she could think about was how this sleepover was _so _nawt going as planned. She had thought that they would give each other mani-pedis and play Wear or Dare, just like they had done at Massie's Friday night sleepovers. But no, Dylan just had to want to watch _Twilight_. As the opening credits rolled onto the screen, Alicia zoned out. She had already watched this movie a million times, so it wouldn't really matter if she didn't pay any attention now. She pulled out her phone and checked Twitter again. There were three new comments on the pictures:

_I know right? Massie, you were the best alpha we ever had. Please come back!_ _ Massie, we miss you! Hope you're doing well in London._

The last one stung the most.

_Westchester's not the same without you! Alicia will never be as good an alpha as you were. Hope you're having fun, because I'm definitely not!_

Alicia silent-screamed. This could nawt be happening. How could someone say that she'll never be as good an alpha as Massie? That comment stung like an eyebrow waxing. Alicia wanted to throw her phone across the room and watch it break into a million tiny little pieces, along with her pride. She was trying, she really was. Why wasn't she good enough for Westchester? All Alicia wanted to do was run upstairs to her room, bury her face in her down pillows, and cry her heart out. But that would scream _LBR, _and Alicia was nawt going to be an LBR. She was going to be the alpha, no matter what it took.

* * *

**Yeah, I know it seems kinda rushed at the end, but I was really running out of stuff to write. I didn't want Massie's part to be a lot longer, so I added the last part. **

**Next update might not be for a while, I'm really busy with schoolwork and stuff. And longer chapters = longer time to work on them. **

**Kisses!  
-Rachel**


	7. vii

**A/N: Omigosh, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in almost a week! I had a French unit test today that I had to study for, and Microsoft Word wasn't working! :( In the end, I ended up typing this on Google Drive. Anyway, thanks for all the follows and reviews! Heart you all! Mwah!**

**P.S. I decided to start with what's happening in Westchester this time. Enjoy!**

* * *

**OCD**

**The Radio Booth**

**Monday, January 24th**

**12:00 P.M.**

Alicia Rivera shifted uncomfortably in her Michael Kors round toe ballet flats. She slipped on her big headphones and grabbed the yellow folder containing the day's news. She switched her microphone to "on" and adjusted some knobs and dials. She took a deep breath. In, out. In, out.

"Good afternoon, OCD! I'm Alicia Rivera with your lunchtime news brief." She paused for applause. "First of all, I have great news. Our very own Kristen Gregory was accepted into the most elite traveling soccer team, the Soccer Sisters!" Cheers and applause. "Her first game is on Saturday, so be sure to be there to support her. Secondly, Dylan Marvil and her family have their own reality TV show now, Marvilous Marvils!" More applause. "If you haven't seen the pilot episode yet, make sure you go online and check it out! All right, now down to business. It's been a week since Massie Block left for England," she improvised. Alicia had no idea what she was doing, yet she still continued. "We all miss her with all our hearts. But we gotta move on, and let go of the past. So cheer up, everyone! Turn that frown upside down!" She went back to the script. "We're having a pep rally this Friday for the Briarwood Tomahawks game Friday afternoon, so join us! The cheerleaders, the Heart-Nets, will be performing. So will the marching band." Alicia smiled, remembering her old cheerleading squad that she had formed. When she quit, someone else took over and continued the squad. "This has been Alicia Rivera for OCD news, saying I heart you."

Cheers erupted from the Cafe. Alicia grinned. She would always be the alpha in news broadcasting, no matter what.

* * *

**OCD**

**The Cafe**

**Monday, January 24th**

**12:10 P.M.**

"Ehmagawd, Leesh!" Dylan Marvil screamed, and enveloped Alicia in a bone-crushing hug. "You did great! Thanks for mentioning double-M," Dylan said, using her new nickname for Marvilous Marvils.

Alicia pulled away. "Uh, Dyl, it was in the script. You should be thanking Principal Burns."

Dylan wrinkled her nose. "Ew, that old crow? No way. That's why I'm thanking you."

Before Alicia had a chance to respond, Kristen ran up to her. "You mentioned the Soccer Sisters! Yay! So you think everyone's gonna go to my game?" she asked, twirling a lock of dirty blond hair nervously.

"Given," Alicia said as she led the way to Table 18, where Claire was sitting there, picking at her cuticles. "Why wouldn't they? Everyone knows you're the best soccer player at OCD, maybe even in Westchester!"

"You think?" Kristen said.

"I know." Alicia grinned. Last night, she had tossed and turned in bed, trying to figure out a plan for becoming alpha. Finally, at about 3 am, she got it. She was going to be nice to everyone. It wasn't even close to what Massie did, but after a week of trying what Massie did, Alicia gave up. It just wasn't working. The new approach was to shower everyone with compliments and make them respect her. Starting with her friends. The Pretty Committee had to stay together. She wouldn't be able to deal with a breakup.

As they approached Table 18, Claire smiled and waved. "I have an idea," she said, pushing a white-blond strand of hair behind her ear.

"For what?" Alicia said, sliding into the head seat. Kristen and Dylan quickly sat down on either side of her.

"For, you know, Operation Alpha," Claire whispered. Operation Alpha was the codename they had come up with at her Friday night sleepover. Operation Alpha was a plan to become the alphas and reign OCD like they did once upon a time. Alicia raised a freshly waxed eyebrow, and wondered how good Kuh-laire's idea could be. But, she decided to honor her pledge to be nice to everyone. She leaned in and said, "Let's hear it."

"Okay." Claire reached into her gummy stash and pulled one out. She popped it in her mouth. Alicia tilted her head to say, Hello? We're waiting. Claire swallowed. "Sorry. Okay, the idea is to throw a party."

"A party?" Dylan said over a mouthful of chocolate-covered almonds.

"Ewwww," Kristen said. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Dylan rolled her green eyes and popped another handful into her mouth.

"Yeah, a party," Claire continued, ignoring Dylan and Kristen. "We'll have it at Alicia's house or something-" Claire paused to see if she was okay with that. Alicia shrugged. "-and invite everyone in the school. Briarwood boys too."

"Ooh, perfect. I wanna get things to return to the way they were between me and Derrick. I wish we had never upgraded," Dylan whined.

Alicia slapped her on the arm. Oops. So much for being nice. "Dyl, I thought we agreed that eighth grade guys are soooooo immature."

"Ow!" Dylan rubbed her arm. "Correction: you and Massie agreed that eighth grade guys are soooooo immature. And besides, we all know you still like Josh."

Alicia's face turned as red as her fingernails. "Maybe I do," she admitted. Then she turned to face Kristen. "What about you, Kris? Are you still into Dempsey?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kristen mumbled, also turning red.

Alicia air-clapped. "And we all know Claire still likes Cam." She reached over and patted Claire on the sleeve of her Old Navy hoodie, then quickly jerked away once she realized what she was touching. "So continue, Claire." She smiled at her.

Claire gladly returned the smile. She sat up with renewed energy. "We'll have the party at Alicia's house and invite everyone. Remember Massie's boy-girl Halloween party?" The girls nodded. "Remember how everyone was raving about how awesome it was even a few weeks after the party?" The girls exchanged glances and shrugged. "So, if we throw a party even better than hers, we'll be sure to gain alpha status."

"Genius!" Kristen leaned across the table to high-five Claire. "So Leesh, what do you think?"

"Great," Alicia said, smiling.

"Okay, so when's the party going to be?" Dylan said.

"Hmm, how about Friday of next week? We can have the party, then afterwards we can have our Friday night sleepover," Alicia said.

"Sure, why not?" Kristen said.

"Wanna come to my new house to make invitations?" Claire said.

"Sure," Alicia said. "But I was kinda thinking that we should tell everyone on Twitter and Facebook."

"We can do that too, I guess. But making invitations makes the party seem more professional, you know? We can put them in everyone's locker. I'll give some to Cam and he can give them out at Briarwood."

"Double genius!" Kristen high-fived her again. "So, we're meeting at Claire's house after school for party planning?"

"Yup." Alicia nodded. "Wanna play Given/Not Given after?" she said, remembering one of Massie's old party games. For some weird reason, she really wanted to play it. When Massie introduced it, the Pretty Committee was almost falling apart. Right now, the Pretty Committee was coming closer and closer together. And maybe she just liked doing things the opposite of how Massie did them. Sorta like the thing with her new pledge to be nice.

* * *

**The Block Castle**

**Massie's Bedroom**

**Monday, January 24th**

**4:33 P.M.**

"And print." Massie giggled as she pressed the "print" button with her French manicured fingernail. Once she heard the printer whirring, she got up to retrieve the papers. She pulled out a stack of freshly printed papers, and carefully set them down on her white carpet. She and her new friends had spent about an hour and a half working on the invitations to their party. They were calling it the "Across the Pond Gala" because they were the new girls from America. And here they were, across the pond.

"Ooh, yay! They're done!" Julia Winters cheered. She dug into her Dolce & Gabbana lace print tote and pulled out bottles of glitter. "Let's decorate," she said, placing the bottles on the floor.

Massie got up and got a few glitter pens from her desk and added them to the pile. "Kay," she said, sitting down next to Julia.

Vanessa Peterson grabbed a bottle of lavender glitter and opened it. "How are we going to hand these out?"

"Easy. We'll give them out during lunch. I'll put a pile at our lunch table. We can also give them out during our classes." Massie grabbed a pink glitter pen and began outlining the A in Across the Pond Gala. "They'll RSVP by tweeting it on Twitter," she said, pointing to the invitation in her hand. "See? 'RSVP by Twitter. Massie's username is royalpurplegirl_1.'"

"Why the number '1?' Is it because you're the first 'royal purple girl?'" Julia asked as she sprinkled glitter on the sides of an invitation. "Oops." She held up the invitation, and Massie saw that she had gotten glitter everywhere. Massie handed her another one.

"'1' stands for 'number one.' As in, I'm always number one at everything." Massie put the cap back on the pink glitter pen and grabbed a red one.

"Smart," Vanessa said. "I wish I had a creative username like yours."

"What's your username?" Massie asked.

"It's vanessapeterson." She giggled.

"And that wasn't taken?" Julia raised an eyebrow.

"No, surprisingly, it wasn't." Vanessa turned to Massie and held up three bottles of purple glitter that were different shades. "Which shade of purple?"

Massie pursed her lips. "Royal purple, ahbviously," she said, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"I knew you'd say that." Vanessa popped open the cap and began sprinkling glitter around the 'Across the Pond Gala.' "Do you really think this party will help us gain alpha status?"

"Given," Massie said. "I mean, who doesn't want to attend a party at a castle, thrown by three super hawt girls?"

"Point." Julia raised her finger, just like Alicia would. It was something Massie had gotten used to over the past week. She didn't even think of Alicia when Julia did that anymore.

Vanessa dug her hand into the bowl of goldfish beside her. Massie immediately knocked her hand down. "No food when working," she hissed. "Sorry," Vanessa mumbled, then took her hand out.

Massie sighed as she put her finished invitation aside. She grabbed the pink glitter pen again and popped open the cap. Vanessa was just like Dylan, in more ways than one. Before Massie could start to miss her old friend, she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She had to focus on working now. These invitations had to be done by tomorrow.

Ping!

Massie lunged for her iPhone. One new text message, the screen blinked. She clicked 'read.'

**James:** How was the 1st day of ur 2nd week?

Massie felt her heart leap. James cared about how her day at school went. All last week, they had flirted with each other. Julia and Vanessa teased her about her crush all the time. So what if she had just met James? Massie had a feeling that they were soulmates. Forget Derrington. Forget Dempsey. Forget Landon. James Weinstein was the one for her.

"Who texted you, Mass?" Julia got up, wiped her hands on the sides of her Diesel jeans, and walked over to Massie's side.

"James." Massie tilted her phone so that Julia could see.

"James?" Vanessa quickly got up and hurried over. She stood on Massie's other side and peeked at the screen.

Once both girls had seen the text, Massie whirled around and texted him back.

**Massie**: Ah-mazing.

"Tell him about the party," Julia urged.

**Massie**: I'm having a party Friday of next week my house. Wanna come? Bring ur friends. :)

Ping.

**James**: Sure, I'll be there. You live in a castle, right? Cool. :)

Massie felt crush waves engulf her from her head to her toes. He thought living in a castle was cool! Well, everyone thought it was, but he thought it was cool! Massie jumped up and down and hugged her friends. So what if she was acting like an LBR? She was pretty sure that your crush texting you was a good enough reason to act like one.

* * *

**I guess great minds think alike, huh? Massie's throwing a party . . . and the Pretty Committee is throwing a party. And on the same day too. But not the same time, because of the time difference. :)**

**Sorry if it was shorter than the last two chapters, I promise next time it'll be back to 3,000 words.**

**I'll try to update ASAP.**

**Kisses!**

**-Rachel**


	8. viii

**A/N: Well, here you go. The next chapter. I sprained my ankle at school today, so I couldn't go to ballet. I took that time to finish this next chapter. Well, enjoy!**

**xx,**

**Rachel**

* * *

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**The Cafe**

**Tuesday, January 25th**  
**11:30 A.M.**

Massie Block walked into the cafeteria confidently with a stack of glittery invitations in her hand. She paused for a second and mentally went over her outfit. "I am wearing a V-neck sweater in marled kiwi and navy Juicy jeans. I am also wearing Gucci peep-toe booties. I'm carrying a black suede YSL bag. 9.5," she whispered. She took a deep breath and continued walking. When she reached Table 15, she stopped.

"Mass! Thank Gawd you're finally here. Where were you? You're 10 minutes late." Julia grabbed Massie's arm and pulled her down. She took the stack of invitations and put it on the table. "Here, hand some out," she said, giving some to Massie.

Massie rolled her amber eyes and said, "Sorry, I got lost."

"Ah-gain?" Julia raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "The cafeteria is like, right outside your social studies class. How could you miss it?"

Massie turned as red as Julia's cashmere sweater. She never slipped like this. She reached into her YSL bag and pulled out a tube of Mint Chocolate Chip Glossip Girl. She re-glossed, needing some time to think. She dropped the tube back into her bag and said, "Okay, I didn't get lost." Julia smirked. "I was hanging out with James." Oops. She lied. Ah-gain. What had really happened was that Massie's social studies teacher had kept her after class to go over the test last week that she had gotten a D on. But in her defense, she was new and didn't have any time to study.

Julia nodded. It was believable, because Massie spent ah-lot of time with James lately. "So what are you waiting for? Let's hand these babies out!"

Massie grinned and climbed on top of the table, almost falling off in her Gucci booties. She steadied herself just in time and cleared her throat. "Attention!" She clapped her hands, and everyone stopped talking. "I'm Massie Block. You guys might not know me because I'm new here. I'm from Westchester, New York. And this is Julia Winters, who's from Beverly Hills, California, and Vanessa Peterson, who's from Chicago, Illinois. They're also new. We're throwing a party so we can get to know everyone in London better. Invitations are right here, so pick them up for more details. Thanks!"

Massie silently praised herself for having such good people skills. She could command the attention of a room oh-so-easily. She stood there, waiting for people to eagerly come up and grab invitations. But no one did.

"Mass? Why isn't anyone coming up to take invitations?" Vanessa looked up from her pizza.

Massie felt the room starting to get darker. Everyone was either pointing at them and laughing or completely ignoring them. She overheard some conversations about the party and her heart nearly stopped. "Mayssie Block is such a loser. No one would ever go to her party," a skinny brunette told her friend. Massie wanted to scream, "It's nawt Maysie, it's Massie. As in sassy. And I just so happened to be the most popular girl in eighth grade back at Octavian Country Day in Westchester." But any self-respecting alpha would just wave it away and move on. So that's what Massie did.

Why was it so hard to become the alpha at KISS? Back in Westchester, everyone had wanted to come to her parties. The hard truth finally hit her. This was London. A new country. A new city. A new school. Things were different here. She couldn't walk in and just expect people to respect her. She had to earn their respect. But she was trying, really. Couldn't people just give her a chance?

"Miss Block?" Mrs. Dabney yelled. "In the handbook, it clearly states that 'students are not allowed to climb on school property.' Well, you're a student and you're on a table, which is school property. I'm going to have to give you a detention, Miss Block." She pulled out a pink slip of paper and scribbled something on it. She handed it to Massie. "Today after school, you have detention in the cafeteria. See you there." She walked away.

Julia and Vanessa shot her pity looks. The whole cafeteria fell silent as they gawked at Massie. Massie wanted to run back to the Block castle in her Gucci booties and order a plane ticket back to Westchester. Instead, she half smiled and got off the table to sit back down in her seat.

Massie took a deep, calming breath and began to eat her salad. Her friends stared at her, then at each other. "Mass?" Julia finally said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Massie snapped.

"You don't look fine." Vanessa looked genuinely worried. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Actually, yes, she did want to talk about it. But she couldn't. Talking about it would mean revealing all her insecurities to these girls she had only known for a week. "No, it's okay," she said.

"What are we going to do about the party?" Julia said.

"Plan B," Massie said with a smile, showing her friends that even though she had gotten a detention, she could still think like an alpha.

"What's plan B?" Vanessa said.

"Come over after school and you'll find out," Massie said.

The truth was, Massie didn't really have a plan. She just made that up so Julia and Vanessa would be satisfied. If she had said, "I don't know," then they would have been worried and might have stopped trusting her. Massie sighed. She had four hours to think of a real plan. Everything was on the line here. Her friendships, her party, and her alpha status.

* * *

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**  
**The Cafe**  
**Tuesday, January 25th**  
**3:00 P.M.**

Massie trudged into the cafeteria looking very unhappy. She had tried to think of a plan all throughout periods 5, 6, and 7, but she came up with nothing.

I deserve some rest, Massie thought. She made her way over to the spa and sank down in one of the white massage chairs. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh." She relaxed every muscle in her body and emptied her mind of her worries. For the next three minutes, Massie felt like she was on a fluffy cloud.

"Miss Block!" Massie's eyes jolted open and she quickly jumped out of the massage chair. Mrs. Dabney was glaring at her.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Miss Block, no using the spa chairs after school hours. Do you understand me?" she barked.

"Yes, ma'am," Massie said with her head down.

"Good. For your detention, you will write 'I will not stand on tables' one hundred times. It's the only way you'll learn from your mistake." _Seriously? That's the best you can do_? Massie thought.

"I'm not finished," Mrs. Dabney said. "After that, I would like you to wipe down all the tables in the room. The tables get very dirty, especially after a certain brown-haired girl steps on them." She glared at Massie with her beady eyes. "Now go! Sit at that table and write!"

Massie hurried over to the nearest table. Mrs. Dabney set a piece of paper and a pencil in front of her and Massie took them and started writing. With every sentence, she got angrier and angrier. Clean all the tables in the room? No way. And everyone knew that Massie only wrote with mechanical pencils or her purple pen. She just didn't do regular pencils.

Massie shot hate glares at the back of Mrs. Dabney's perfect gray bun. As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Mrs. Dabney whirled around and glared right back at her. Massie lowered her head and continued writing. Satisfied, Mrs. Dabney walked out of the cafeteria, slamming the door loudly.

Massie cringed and covered her ears. After checking to see that Mrs. Dabney was really gone, Massie reached into her black suede YSL bag and pulled out her iPhone. She quickly snapped a picture of her "I will not stand on tables" paper and composed a text to the Pretty Committee.

To: Alicia, Kristen, Dylan, and Claire  
Massie: Can u buh-lieve Mrs. Dabney? She's making me write 100 sentences and clean all the tables in the caf. Here's the full story:  
I had this brill idea 2 throw a party. We made invites 2 hand out during lunch 2day. I stood up on the table and made an announcement, but no one came 2 take any invites. They laughed me. Mrs. Dabney found me standing on the table and gave me detention. :(  
How r things back there? I'm sure it's better than how things r in London.  
Heart u guys!  
Kiss-Kiss,  
Massie

Massie blew the iPhone screen a kiss for good luck, and pressed send.

_Ping._

She immediately got four replies.

**Alicia**: Awww, poor u. :( Things r going gr8 here. Hope things turn out well.  
**Kristen**: I feel ya. Detention is très mauvais!  
**Dylan**: Things r fine. Marvilous Marvils is ah-mazing. It premieres this Friday, so be sure to watch it! U can't miss it. :)  
**Claire**: We're throwing a party too! :) I can't believe u got detention. U stood on tables all the time OCD! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll show them who's alpha. :)

Massie smiled, suddenly recharged with the energy to finish the sentences and wipe down all the tables. Her best friends were still there for her. And nuh-thing, nawt even a mean headmistress could change that.

* * *

**Octavian Country Day School  
Tuesday, January 25th  
2:40 P.M.**

"Can't wait for your party, Alicia!" Allie Rose-Singer called after the Pretty Committee.

"Yeah, I just know it's gonna be toe-dally awesome! Aimee Snyder chirped.

Alicia just smiled at them as she walked off in her Marc Jacobs ballet flats. Ever since this morning, when the Pretty Committee had stuffed an invitation into everyone's locker, she had been getting tons of compliments. She couldn't believe that Kuh-laire was actually right about something, for once.

"Alicia! Wait up." She turned around to find Claire herself running down the hall in her Keds towards her.

Alicia waved. "Hey, Claire! Did you hear from Cam about the invitations yet?" She flipped her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Not yet." Claire stopped to catch her breath. "But I'm about to text him now." She pulled out her new iPhone, a gift from Massie. Her thumbs flew across the touch screen keyboard. Seconds later, there was a whoosh sound.

"Let me see." Alicia peeked over Claire's shoulder.

**Claire**: Did u pass out the invites?

_Ping_.

**Cam**: Yup. :)

Alicia and Claire exchanged a glance. Alicia gestured towards the screen, and Claire got the hint. She typed back a reply.

**Claire**: So? How wuz it?  
**Cam**: Gr8. Everyone's looking forward 2 it.  
**Claire**: Yay! :)

"All good." Claire flashed Alicia a thumbs-up.

"This is gonna be ah-mazing!" Dylan suddenly appeared behind them, followed by Kristen.

"Point." Alicia raised her index finger.

"Let's go shopping for decorations and stuff," Kristen said.

"To the limo!" Alicia giggled. She broke off into a power walk-an ah-mazing accomplishment for Alicia, a notorious slow walker-and the PC followed. She grinned all the way to her family's black limo, where George was waiting.

"So the theme is Winter Wonderland, right?" Claire slid into the limo and stretched her feet out.

"Given." Alicia slid in after her, followed by Kristen and Dylan. "Okay, so we're looking for wintery stuff. Snowflakes, snowmen, anything related to winter. Oh, and make sure you only get white decorations. It goes with the whole winter theme."

The PC nodded. Claire raised her hand.

"Yes, Kuh-laire?"

"I was thinking about the party, and I think we should have a clothing sale, like the one we had to raise money for Massie. But instead of selling our old clothes, we should buy new designer clothes and sell them for a greater amount. The guests will know that we picked them out, so they'll definitely love it. It'll be 'Pretty Committee approved' outfits."

"Ehmagawd, Kuh-laire, when did you become so smart?" Dylan said, high-fiving her.

Claire blushed. "I've always had good ideas, but I was too afraid of Massie to say them."

"They're ah-mazing!" Kristen added. "You don't have to be scared of us, Claire." Claire raised her blond eyebrows at the mention of her real name instead of Kuh-laire.

Alicia smiled at her and placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "We'll start by using your real name."

"Really?" Claire's blue eyes filled with hope.

"Really." Alicia squeezed her shoulder and then let go. After all, this was the first step of many in Operation Alpha and Operation Be Nice to Everyone.

* * *

**The Rivera Estate  
Alicia's Bedroom  
Tuesday, January 25th  
9:34 P.M.**

Alicia pulled on her pajamas and climbed into bed. She pulled out her iPhone and opened her notes. She opened up "Pretty Committee Approved Outfits" and lay down on her bed. She went over the list for the hundredth time, which looked like this:

White Chloe halter top  
White BCBG minidress  
White Ralph Lauren polo  
White Ralph Lauren cardigan  
White cashmere Alice + Olivia sweater  
White and pink striped Michael Kors sweater  
White ballet flats  
White ankle booties

When she got there, Alicia stopped. She felt way to tired to continue. _Plunk_! Her iPhone dropped out of her hand and hit her on the face. She jolted up, letting the iPhone fall into her lap. She carefully rubbed her forehead. "Ow," she said.

Alicia pulled out her MacBook Air and opened up Skype. She clicked on Dylan, who was online. A few seconds later, a massive head of red curls filled the screen. "Hey, Dyl," Alicia said.

"Hey, Leesh," Dylan replied. Alicia saw a camera crew behind her and raised an eyebrow. Dylan mouthed, _Ignore them. They just want good TV._ Alicia flashed her a thumbs-up. "So, Dyl, how's the party planning going?"

"Great." Dylan smiled. "I have all the decorations here. Everyone's tweeting about how they can't wait for the party. See for yourself." Dylan held her phone up to the screen. Alicia squinted to read the tweets.

The Pretty Committee is ah-mazing! Can't wait for the party. :) #winterwonderlandparty  
Going to the PC's party next Friday. #winterwonderlandparty

A tweet at the bottom caught her eye.

Guess Alicia does have some alpha in her after all. :) #winterwonderlandparty

It was from the same person who had made that comment on Massie's post. Someone with the username gossipgirlfanatic. Alicia grinned. This person was changing her mind about her, which meant Operation Alpha was working.

"And guess what? Winter wonderland party is trending!" Dylan said. "Who knew we'd be such a hit?"

"I knew," Alicia said, and the two girls giggled. Then she stopped, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that she was being filmed. In her pajamas."SorryDylgottagetmybeautyslee pseeyoutomorrowbye!" Alicia immediately signed off. She checked her reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner of her bedroom and confirmed her suspicions. Her hair was messy and her face was makeup-free. She groaned and quickly texted Dylan.

**Alicia**: Plz don't let them air that!  
**Dylan**: Y? U were ah-mazing. Besides, it makes good reality TV.  
**Alicia**: I never signed the contract. They can't film me.  
**Dylan**: Massie made all of us sign it, remember?

Sighing, Alicia dropped her phone on the bed in defeat. Just great. She would normally jump at the chance to be on TV, but she had to look good. Alicia decided to ignore that for now. She climbed into bed and turned off her bedside lamp.

"Operation Alpha is officially under way," she murmured.


	9. ix

**A/N: Aaaaaand done. Finally. Here's the next chapter. I'm starting with Westchester again! Enjoy the chapter! **

**xx,**

**Rachel**

**Edit: Oops! I made a mistake. Alicia's actually looking for _three_ models...changed that. (3/19/13)**

* * *

**Octavian Country Day**

**The Front Lawn**

**Wednesday, January 26th**

**7:40 A.M.**

Kristen Gregory tapped her sneaker-clad foot as she waited for the rest of the Pretty Committee to get to school. Alicia had told them that George was sick, so everyone had to find another way to get to school. Kristen's mom had driven her, and she hadn't had any time to change out of her mom-approved outfit. Kristen cringed at the sight of her baggy sweatpants and Old Navy jacket. She checked her watch. 7:41 A.M. The PC had agreed to meet under their favorite tree at 7:45. She had four minutes to change.

Kristen ran into the humongous building and darted towards the nearest bathroom. She pulled her clothes out of her Adidas bag. Seconds later, she was dressed in a black Alexander Wang tunic (hand-me-down from Massie), gray Splendid leggings, and Calvin Klein knee-high boots. She ran back outside with 30 seconds to spare.

"Heyyyyyyyy," Dylan burped. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Kristin said, fanning the air.

Dylan giggled. "Did you know we're trending on Twitter?"

"Really? Let me see." Dylan pulled out her phone, and Kristen peered over her shoulder. Sure enough, #winterwonderlandparty was trending. So was #marvilousmarvils. "Ehma-yay!" She jumped up and down and hugged Dylan.

"What are you guys so happy about?" A white-blond head poked her way into their tight hug.

"Claire!" Dylan said, embracing her. "We're trending on Twitter! You're idea was ah-mazing!'

"Yay!" Claire jumped up and down with Kristen and Dylan.

"This party is going to be awesome!" Alicia chirped, joining their circle.

"Leesh!" Kristen said, pulling Alicia into their hug. After a few seconds, they all pulled away. "So, why did you call this meeting?" Kristen tucked a dirty blond strand of hair behind her ear.

"I have big news," Alicia said mysteriously.

"How many gossip points?" Dylan asked.

"None, because the whole school's going to find out in a few minutes anyway." Dylan, Kristen, and Claire exchanged a glance. What news could be this big? Kristen thought. "Spill," she commanded.

"Okay." Alicia pliéd and then straightened up. "OCD's having a fashion show. And they want us to host it. Principal Burns is going to announce it at an assembly this morning."

"Ehma-no way!" Dylan exclaimed.

"Why do they want us to host it?" Claire asked.

"Principal Burns heard about our Winter Wonderland party, and she wants us to have a fashion show during the party. She asked me to meet with her this morning." Alicia grinned. "We were gonna have a fashion show anyway, so this is no biggie."

"Yay!" the girls cheered.

"She wants to meet with all four of us in her office during lunch. Also, some of the profit made from the fashion show will go to us. And did I say fashion show? It's more like an auction. We'll strut down the runway in designer outfits and people will bid on them."

"Wait," Kristen said. "We'll be the only models?"

"We have to choose three other girls to be models with us. Oh! I almost forgot the best part. The Briarwood boys will be modeling too. We're gonna plan it together." Alicia's chocolate brown eyes sparkled. "The even better part is that we get to choose which boys will be models."

"Cam!" Claire immediately piped up.

"Given." Alicia smiled. "And Josh."

"Derrick." Dylan pulled out a Twizzler from her Coach hobo bag and bit into it.

"Dempsey." Kristen blushed as red as the Twizzler in Dylan's hand.

"Done and done." Alicia typed the boys' names into her iPhone. "We still need three more though."

"Kemp, Chris, and . . ." Kristen trailed off.

"How about Griffin?" Dylan tried.

Kristen glared at her. "Over my dead body."

"What about Harris, Cam's brother?" Claire said.

"Perfect." Alicia jotted the names down into her iPhone. "What about the girls? We need three other girls. I nominate Olivia."

Kristen fake-coughed. "Airhead."

Alicia shot her a glare. "It's just modeling. You don't have to be smart to be a model."

"Olivia stole Cam," Claire said.

"That was like, four months ago. She's nawt going to try to steal him again," Alicia lost her patience and snapped. Claire looked down at the ground. "So we all agree on Olivia, right?"

"Sure," Dylan mumbled. But she was the only one.

"Right?" Alicia said again. Claire and Kristen slowly nodded. "Good. Two more girls."

Kristen checked her watch. "The bell's gonna ring in five minutes. We better get going. Let's decide on this later." She swung her Adidas bag over her shoulder and headed for the building. Alicia, Claire, and Dylan followed behind her.

* * *

**Octavian Country Day**

**Principal Burns's Office**

**Wednesday, January 26th**

**12:10 P.M.**

"I'm here!" Alicia panted. She had just ran all the way from OCD's radio booth to Principal Burns's office. She stopped to catch her breath. Ever since she announced the two openings for models at the fashion show during her daily broadcast, the students had gone wild. Everyone was so desperate to be a model that they were willing to do anything. Someone had offered to carry her purse for her, but there was no way Alicia would let some random LBR lay their grimy hands on her precious Louis Vuitton bag.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked. She looked genuinely worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Alicia sunk into one of the chairs surrounding Principal Burns's desk. "If you count being chased by LBRs as fine. Can you buh-lieve what some people would do just to be a model? It's puh-thetic."

"What'd you do?" Dylan said, reaching into her Coach hobo bag and pulling out a brown bag lunch. She took out a ham and cheese sandwich and took a big bite out of it.

"I told them that we were going to have auditions for models at my house this afternoon," Alicia said.

"We are?" Kristen raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we are. I just tweeted that this afternoon, at my house, we're going to have all the hopefuls audition. They have to show us their walk, and fill out this form. We'll tell the lucky three who made it tomorrow."

Alicia grinned from ear to ear. "Am I a genius or am I a genius?"

Dylan rolled her green eyes. "You're a genius." Alicia beamed.

"Hello girls." The Pretty Committee jumped at the sound of Principal Burns's birdlike voice. She settled down in her chair. "Alicia told me that you guys were all on board with the fashion show idea." The girls nodded. "Great." She smiled sweetly. "Here are the descriptions of the outfits I want you guys to model." She handed each girl a thick yellow file. "The outfits will arrive one day before the fashion show. Do you girls have your models yet?"

"No, we still need three more girls." Alicia wondered if Principal Burns had even bothered to listen to her broadcast, because she clearly stated that they needed three more girls.

"So you have all the boys you need?" Principal Burns asked.

Alicia shot Claire a look that said, Did you text the boys? Claire nodded. Alicia breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, we have all the boy models."

"Good, good." Principal Burns pulled out a few more files. "These are for the boys." She handed them to Alicia, who graciously accepted them. "Now let's talk about the fashion show. You're going to be modeling designer outfits, and people are going to bid on them."

"Stawp." Alicia held out her hand. "So does that mean adults will be there?"

"Not if you don't want them to. You can just tell them 'no adults allowed.' The students can bid on outfits themselves. They're responsible enough."

Alicia breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good." She did nawt want a bunch of overprotective parents storming in and ruining her party.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you girls here to eat your lunch. Goodbye!" Principal Burns got up and left.

"Goodbye!" the PC chorused. As soon as they were sure that she was gone, the four of them simultaneously pulled out the papers in their files. "Ehmagawd," Alicia breathed. The papers in her hand held pictures of next season's stuff that weren't even out yet. "No way," she gushed, seeing the ultra-exclusive Prada bag that had a super-long wait list already.

"Ehmagawd." Kristen pulled out a picture of a pair of Miu Miu ballet flats that were super adorable. "I heart these."

Dylan snorted. "I thought you didn't do girly stuff like ballet flats."

"This" -Kristen gestured to the picture- "is an exception." Dylan rolled her eyes.

"This is gonna be ah-mazing!" Claire piped up.

"Point." Alicia held up her index finger. "Everyone's toe-dally gonna be raving about this months, maybe even years, from now!"

"Yayyyyyyyy!" the PC cheered.

Alicia smiled to herself as she put the pictures back in her file. This was turning out to be the best party ever. _See, Massie?_ she thought._ I can be the alpha._

* * *

**London, England**

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**Wednesday, January 26th**

**3:00 P.M.**

"You sure about this, Mass?" Julia Winters stared worriedly at her new friend, Massie Block.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Massie managed a smile. "Go without me."

"Okay then. Bye!" Vanessa Peterson waved at Massie. Massie waved back. She watched Julia's driver take them away in her limo. When the sleek white limo was out of sight, she pulled out her iPhone and texted James.

**Massie:** Meet me in the back of the building, stat.

Massie tapped her Prada leather platform pumps on the ground as she waited for an answer.

_Ping._

**James**: Be right there. :)

Massie quickly put her iPhone back into her bag and took off towards the back of the enormous building. She couldn't wait to see James. She had a lot of things on her mind, and she really didn't think she could confide in two girls that she just met. That left James, her crush.

A few minutes later, Massie finally arrived at her destination. She rubbed her foot-walking in Prada pumps hurts ah-lot!-and approached James Weinstein. "Hey," she said shyly. Whenever she was around James, her hands would clam up and she would get all sweaty. She also felt a tingly feeling that she had never felt before with Landon, Dempsey, or Derrington-excuse her, Derrick.

"Hey," James said. "So why did you call me here?" He brushed his shaggy bangs aside. Massie felt her legs go weak.

"Um, we have to talk," she said.

James's smile drooped. "No, it's nawt about you," she quickly said. "It's about me." James raised an eyebrow. Massie took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do. An alpha never revealed her insecurities to people, but come on. James was her crush. And he liked her back. They should be able to confide in each other . . . right?

Pushing that thought aside, Massie took another deep breath and steadied her trembling legs. "You know what happened yesterday during lunch, right?"

"Actually, no. I was making up a test for English," James said.

Thank Gawd he hadn't seen her humiliate herself. That would've been bad. Very, very bad. But then Massie realized that she had to explain the situation to him, which, in some ways, was even worse. "I'm throwing a party, and we-me, Julia, and Vanessa-were planning to give the invitations out during lunch. But no one came to take any invitations, and on top of that, I got a detention for standing on a table."

"Oh no." James placed a hand on Massie's shoulder. He stared into her eyes, which were starting to fill with tears. "Did they laugh at you?"

Massie nodded. James pulled her into a hug, and Massie buried her face in his chest. "I wish I had never moved. I was the alpha of Octavian Country Day School back in Westchester. I don't know why I just can't be the alpha in London."

"You made friends, right?" James asked.

"Yeah, but they were also new girls, so it doesn't really count, you know? I just can't seem to get the girls at KISS to like me."

"Who doesn't like you?" James said. Massie smiled. "I think that you should be nice to everyone. Treat everyone how you would like to be treated. If you're nice to them, then they'll be nice to you."

Massie had learned that saying in kindergarten. "Treat people how you would like to be treated." She had just ignored it, and told herself that that's what LBRs say to themselves to try to make friends. Now she realized that James might have a point. If she wanted the LBRs to respect her, she had to respect them. "But I never really had to do that at OCD," she whined.

"Maybe you didn't. Then how did you become alpha?"

"They liked my style, I guess. I was rich, and I had ah-mazing friends. They all asked me for advice, and sometimes they got some, sometimes they didn't. I was treated like the queen; everyone worshipped me."

"So they worshipped you because they thought you had great style and great advice, right?" James asked. Massie nodded. "Here at KISS, we 'worship' the people who are nice." He put air-quotes around "worship." Massie's heart swelled with pride.

"So what you're saying is, it doesn't matter if I have great clothes or great friends here, and it only matters if I treat people well?" Massie tried not to come off sounding angry, but it didn't really work. She wasn't used to be really nice to people. In fact, she teased her friends sometimes. Scratch that, make that all of the time. But that's how she showed her love. She actually cared about them, she just showed it in a different way.

"That's exactly what I mean." James pulled away. "I have to go. It was nice talking to you, though. See you around." As he ran off, he gave Massie a small wave. She waved back.

Massie sighed as she pulled out her phone to call new Isaac. She thought about what James had said, and decided to give it a chance. Why not? What's the worst thing that could happen?

_The worst thing that could happen, huh?_ a little voice said in the back of her head. _You could lose everything._

* * *

**Sorry Massie's part was so short, I kinda had writer's block this week. Review!**


	10. x

**A/N: Ten chapters already! I'll try to update next week, if possible. Hey, long (ish) chapters take time! **

**I have Heart Attack by Demi Lovato stuck in my head . . . Yeah, that was random.**

**Enjoy!**

**Kisses!**

**~Rachel**

* * *

**Westchester, New York**

**The Rivera Estate**

**Wednesday, January 26th**

**4:00 P.M.**

"All right." Alicia Rivera clapped her hands together. She adjusted her Ralph Lauren polo and faced the fifty or so hopeful LBRs. "Has everyone finished their forms?"

Olivia Ryan raised her hand. "I'm stuck on number four," she said. "What's an 'iq?'" She pronounced it "ick."

Kristen Gregory, who was standing in the corner, facepalmed. Was she really that stupid? Alicia rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "It's IQ," she said, enunciating every syllable.

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that?"

Dylan pulled the straw from her chocolate milkshake out of her mouth and snapped, "You ahbviously wouldn't know, since you have the IQ of a squashed mosquito under an elephant's foot."

"Aren't mosquitos smart?" Olivia asked stupidly.

Alicia sighed loudly. Kristen rolled her eyes. Dylan took another sip of her chocolate milkshake. Claire just sat there, biting her nails like there was no tomorrow.

There was a long silence. Finally, Kristen spoke up. "You know what? Let's just move on. Has everyone else finished filling out their forms?" The fifty or so LBRs nodded. "Good." Kristen looked at Alicia, waiting for her to say something.

Getting the hint, Alicia stood up. "All right. I have prepared a simple outfit for all of you. In the hall closet, there are Coach bags for each of you. Take out the outfit and try it on. The bathroom is across the hall from the closet. There's a lot of people, so some of you can go change in one of the guest rooms, if you want."

Hearing that, the girls raced to the closet. Seconds later, the house was sheer pandemonium as girls ran over each other to try to get to the nearest room to change. Alicia heard screams of "occupied!" and "get out of here!" She smiled to herself. This was turning out to be better than she thought.

"What's in the bags?" Claire asked.

Alicia gestured over towards the mannequin standing in the corner. "That," she said. The mannequin was wearing a pink Ralph Lauren polo and True Religion jeans paired with 4-inch Jimmy Choo pumps.

"Why heels?" Dylan asked.

"So we'll know who can survive them and who can't. We wouldn't want models falling, now would we?" Alicia said.

Dylan, Kristen, and Claire shrugged like they understood. "Good," Alicia said. She plodded over to the middle of the hallway and yelled, "Are you guys ready?"

"One more minute!"

"Not quite yet!"

"Almost!"

Surprisingly, Olivia Ryan appeared, donning the outfit. And it looked good on her. "How were you so fast?" Dylan exclaimed.

"I pushed everyone out of the way." Olivia cocked her blond head.

_Alphaness_, Alicia's eyes said. Kristen rolled her eyes. Claire bit her fingernail. And Dylan burped.

"Ew," Kristen said, fanning the air. Dylan stuck her tongue out at her. Kristen stuck hers out too.

"You guys! Stop being so immature," Alicia said. Dylan and Kristen immediately recoiled. Suddenly, the fifty or so hopeful models streamed back into the living room, all wearing the Ralph Lauren polo, True Religion jeans, and Jimmy Choo pumps.

"I can't walk in these," a frizzy-haired girl whined.

"Ow!" a pimply LBR said.

"If you guys can't handle Jimmy Choos, then I suggest you get out of here right now," Alicia snapped.

"We can handle it," the frizzy-haired girl said.

"Yeah," the pimply LBR echoed.

"Good," Alicia said, spinning on her heel. "Dylan, you do makeup. Kristen, you do hair. And Claire . . . just make sure everyone stays safe." The Pretty Committee nodded, and set off to do their assigned jobs. Alicia tapped her chin with her favorite pink feather pen and assessed the hopeful models. Her eyes landed on Olivia Ryan, who was having her hair done by Kristen.

"Keep still," Kristen hissed through her teeth.

"I'm trying," Olivia whined. She looked in the mirror and cried, "What are you doing? I asked for a fish tail braid."

"I'm sorry, but that's nawt an option. You're getting a simple high pony," Kristen said.

"But-but-" Olivia stuttered.

"Butts are for sitting," Kristen said. "And that includes your butt." She shot Olivia a glare. "So sit still."

Olivia sat still, defeated. Alicia quickly gave her the onceover. She was pretty enough to be a model, and she surely could rock those Jimmy Choo pumps. But she didn't have any brains, and the rest of the PC weren't happy with her. Alicia dragged her to the "maybe" list.

Her eyes wandered around again, this time landing on a pretty brown-haired girl. She was pretty enough, but it was clear from her Frada (fake Prada) bag that she wasn't rich, and the clothes sticking out of her Frada clearly proved that she knew nuh-thing about fashion. Nothing a little makeover and some short lessons couldn't fix. This girl was also a "maybe."

From the corner of her eye, Alicia saw Layne Abeley chatting with Claire on the couch. Layme was here? Gawd. Layne was currently gesturing wildly with her hands, and Claire looked intrigued by what Layne had to say. Alicia immediately marched over to the couch where they were and said, "Layne. Go get your hair and makeup done. Now."

"What's wrong with my current hairstyle and makeup?" Layne petted her brown hair affectionately.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Everything. Now go or else you can't be a model." She pointed towards the hair and makeup counters that she had set up for this occasion.

"Okay, okay." Layne got up and speed-walked over to Dylan's empty counter. "What is with this outfit? It's so . . . plain."

Alicia ignored her and turned to Claire. "Uh, Claire, you're supposed to make sure everyone stays safe, you know," she said.

"Right. Sorry. But no one's falling in their Jimmy Choo pumps," Claire said, biting down on her pinky nail.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Alicia and Claire both whipped their heads around. They saw a mannequin fall to the ground with a bang, taking the other mannequins with it, like a domino effect. "Ow," someone cried.

Alicia shot Claire a glance. "So no one's fallen, huh?"

Claire blushed. "Well, I-"

Alicia cut her off. "That's enough. Go get her an ice pack."

Claire obeyed and ran to the kitchen to get an ice pack. Seconds later, she emerged from the kitchen with a freezing cold ice pack in her hand. She ran over to the injured girl and pressed the ice pack to her ankle. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. These heels are just way too high," she said.

"I can help you walk if you want," Claire said with genuine sincerity. "You know, until you can walk in the pumps yourself."

"That'd be great, thanks!"

A half hour later, Alicia clapped her hands together and said, "All right, people. Let's start the auditions!"

"Whoo!" Cheers erupted.

"I would like you to all get in a line. When it's your turn, give your form to Claire and step forward. When I say 'go,' you may start walking down the runway." Alicia gestured towards the fake runway in the middle of the room. It was pink and had gleaming lights surrounding it.

The girls frantically rushed to get in line, stepping over some Jimmy Choos in the process. Finally, they were in a straight line.

"Who's up first?" Alicia chirped. Oh, no, she thought when she saw the first person in line. Just her luck. It was Duh-livia Ryan. Alicia was starting to change her mind about wanting her as a model, but she was here, so she had to let Olivia audition. "Okay." Alicia smiled with mock sincerity. "Hand your form to Claire." Olivia did as she was told.

Olivia stepped forward and said, "My name is Olivia Ryan. I'm thirteen years old and I attend Octavian Country Day School. I'm currently taking dance at Body Alive Dance Studio. I love puppies!"

Alicia held up her hand. "Stawp," she said. "Why are you telling us this? I didn't ask for you to introduce yourself." She took a sip of her latte that Claire had just retrieved from the kitchen.

"Well, I wanted to," Olivia insisted.

"Well, I want you to walk down the runway," Alicia hissed.

"Fine," Olivia said, pouting. She took a deep breath and started to strut down the runway. Alicia had to admit, she was actually pretty good. When she got to the end, the LBRs in the audience cheered. Olivia blew a kiss to the crowd and stepped off. "So? How was I?" she said.

Alicia ignored her and began scribbling frantically on her clipboard. Olivia was a good model, that's for sure. But she would also cause the Pretty Committee many headaches if they chose her. Alicia leaned over and whispered to Kristen, "What do you think?"

"We have a strict 'no airhead' policy," Kristen whispered back.

Alicia turned to Dylan, who was on her other side. "What do you think?" she asked.

"She's good," Dylan admitted. "I like her."

Alicia waved Claire over. "Claire? Thoughts on Duh-livia Ryan?"

Claire shrugged. "She's okay, I guess. I really don't know."

Alicia sighed. Great. Olivia was still in the 'maybe' pile. As the auditions whizzed by, she quickly noticed that most of the LBRs were inexperienced. She counted the number of people who tripped, and twenty out of fifty people tripped! She immediately crossed their names off on her list. The other twenty-nine people didn't fall, but they still sucked. The only person who was actually semi-good was Olivia Ryan. And Alicia really didn't want to choose her.

But it looked like she had no other option.

* * *

**London, England**

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**Thursday, January 27th**

**7:30 A.M.**

_Be nice to them_. James's words echoed in Massie's brain. Be nice to them. Be nice to them. Be nice to them! Massie thought back to last summer when she had become the top Be Pretty cosmetics seller of all time. Truth is beauty. All the girls were thankful that Massie had told them the truth about them. They started respecting her. "Be nice" didn't matter anymore. From now on, Massie would tell everyone the truth about them.

Yes, her plan had a lot of holes in it. But it had worked over the summer, so why shouldn't it work now? Massie hurriedly pushed open the giant double doors and walked in. She immediately found an LBR and grabbed her by the wrist. "Hey, I'm Massie," she said.

The girl looked around uncertainly. She tucked her unconditioned blond hair behind her ear. "I'm Sara," she said. Massie inspected her. Her face was makeup-free, and from the looks of her nails Massie could figure out that she was a nail-biter. Her clothes were all Target, just like Kuh-laire's when she had first moved to Westchester.

"I'm new here. Well, I've been here for a week and a half already, but I think it still counts." Massie smiled.

"I'm new too. It's my first day. Where are you from? I'm from Texas."

"I'm from Westchester, New York." Suddenly, Massie abandoned her new plan. This girl reminded her too much of Kuh-laire. She would befriend this girl, and then give her a makeover. "I could show you around, if you'd like. Did you get your schedule yet?"

"Yeah." Sara handed Massie a piece of paper. Massie quickly scanned it. She had a lot of classes together with this girl. "We have a lot of classes together." She handed the schedule back to her. "Want me to give you a tour?"

"Sure, that'd be nice. I've been standing around waiting for fifteen minutes without anything to do. If I tried to explore the school, I'd probably get lost. It's so big!" Sara exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first," Massie said. "But then I got used to it. There's the cafeteria." She gestured towards the empty cafeteria. "Guess what? There's a spa."

Sara's blue eyes brightened. "I've always wanted to go to one," she said quietly.

"You've never been to a spa?" Massie stopped in her tracks. Who had never been to a spa?

"No." She shook her head. "Back in Texas, we didn't have time for makeovers and stuff like that. We didn't have any shopping malls either."

_Yup, sure looks like it_, Massie thought. This girl has never seen a mall, so she ahbviously didn't have good taste in clothes. Which explains the Target clothes. "Oh, well, I can give you a makeover. And take you shopping if you want."

"Really? Thanks!" Sara said.

"No problem." Massie beamed at the girl. She always jumped at the chance to give anyone a makeover. The NLBRs from the Tiffany trailers were living proof of that. "We can go to the mall after school, if you want. You can come over to my castle after."

"You live in a castle?" Sara's blue eyes widened. Massie nodded. "Wow. Just wow. Oh, and I'd love to come!"

"Great," Massie said. "By the way, what's your last name?"

"Robinson. Sara Robinson," Sara said.

"I'm Massie Block. Hey, I'm having a party next Friday at my castle. Wanna come?"

"Sure, that'd be great," Sara said. "Who's gonna be there?"

Massie thought for a second. She could tell Sara the truth, and take James's advice. Or she could lie about it, following her own plan. Massie had her decision. "The whole student body of KISS." Her amber eyes glowed.

"Oh my gosh! How did you get everyone to come?" Sara looked surprised.

"I have my ways," Massie said mysteriously. She linked her arm with Sara's. "Now come on, let's get on with the tour!"

* * *

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**The Cafe**

**Thursday, January 27th**

**11:25 A.M.**

Julia Winters glanced hesitantly at the new addition to Table 15 for the hundredth time in five minutes. "Mass, I-" Massie silenced her with a glare that said she's here because I like her so don't complain. Julia immediately recoiled.

Vanessa Peterson swallowed her mouthful of spaghetti and slapped her palm down on the table. Massie and Julia raised her eyebrows as they watched her stand up. Sara stared down at her cuticles. "This has gone on long enough. There is a new girl here and you haven't even bothered to introduce me to her. We've been sitting here for five whole minutes!"

"Such a long time," Julia muttered under her breath.

Vanessa whipped her head around to glare at her. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Julia flashed her a sugary sweet smile.

"Okay, okay, fine." Massie stood up too. "This is Sara Robinson. She's new here. She's from Texas." Sara gave a shy wave. Julia and Vanessa hesitantly smiled at her.

"I'm Julia," Julia said.

"I'm Vanessa." Vanessa extended her hand out to shake hands with Sara, who shook it uncertainly.

"Um, Massie? I kind of have to go to the bathroom," Sara said.

"Okay . . ." Massie said, not getting it.

"I don't know where it is," Sara said, staring down at her cuticles again.

"Oh," Massie said. "Well that's not a problem. Come on. I'll show you." She got up with Sara right behind her. As they walked out of the cafeteria, Massie turned around a mouthed to Vanessa and Julia, I'll be right back. Promise.

"All right. Here you are. Do you know your way back?" Massie said as they arrived at the nearest girls' bathroom.

"Yeah, I think," Sara said.

"Okay. Well, see ya," Massie said. She turned on her heel and left. She power walked back to the cafeteria and sat down at Table 15. Julia automatically leaned forward on her elbows and asked, "What is she doing here?"

"Yeah, she's like, a total LBR," Vanessa added, using the new word (LBR) that Massie had taught her.

Massie sighed. "Truth?" Vanessa and Julia nodded. Massie took a deep breath. "Back in Westchester, I had a friend named Claire. Her family was living in my family's guest house. At first, I didn't like her at all, with her Orlan-dull style and all. But then I learned to accept her, and she was actually really fun to be around. Sara reminds me of Claire, so I decided to befriend her. I didn't want to go through what I went through when Claire and I were fighting."

Vanessa and Julia nodded like they understood. "You have to be nice to her, okay? I'm taking her to the mall this afternoon to shop for a new wardrobe. My treat. Then we are going to give her a makeover, all right?"

"Kay," Julia said. Vanessa nodded in agreement.

"Did you tell her about the party disaster?" Vanessa lowered her voice to a whisper.

"No, I told her that the whole student body of KISS was coming," Massie said.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Vanessa said. "You know we're just gonna have to lie to her from now on."

"Look, can't this just be our little secret?" Massie said. Julia and Vanessa shrugged. "Today, when Sara leaves, you two stay. We have to come up with Plan B. And plan the party. Time's running out."

"At this rate, there won't even be a party," Julia groaned.

"You think I don't know that?" Massie glared at her. "Just come over after school. This will work, I promise."

"It better," Vanessa hissed.

It better work, indeed.


	11. xi

**A/N: So, as some of you may know, I started a new story. And I found out that I kinda like writing shorter chapters. I can update faster, and sometimes I just don't have that much to put in a chapter. I know some of you are disappointed, but . . . you'll get more chapters, and more updates.**

**Don't expect an update next week, it's spring break and I'm going on a cruise.**

**xx,**

**Rachel**

* * *

**Octavian Country Day School**

**The Cafe**

**Thursday, January 27th**

**12:07 P.M.**

Alicia Rivera confidently strolled into the cafe and made a beeline for Table 18. She sat down in her new place at the head of the table. Her best friends, Kristen Gregory, Dylan Marvil, and Claire Lyons gazed at the yellow file in her hand expectantly. Alicia cleared her throat and announced, "All right, Pretty Committee. Yesterday we agreed on Duh-livia Ryan, right?" The PC nodded, adding a few eye rolls. "Which means that there's one more spot left. I spent hours contemplating this, and finally, I had my answer."

"Well, can you tell us? I'm tired of waiting," Dylan whined.

"You'll have to find out along with everyone else," Alicia said, winking. She checked her Coach watch. "Oops! I'm gonna be late for my broadcast! Gotta go, catch you later!"

Kristen, Dylan, and Claire exchanged a glance. Why wouldn't Alicia just tell them?

Alicia ran out of the cafe and into the broadcasting room. She put on her headphones and turned her microphone on. "Good afternoon, OCD! This is Alicia Rivera with your lunchtime news brief. First off, be sure to join us at the pep rally tomorrow! Then be there afterwards for the Tomahawks soccer game. On Saturday, be sure to watch Kristen Gregory at her very first Soccer Sisters game." She cleared her throat. "As you all know, my friends and I are throwing a party next Friday. We're also having a fashion show. Yesterday, we had auditions at my house. The results are in. The two models we have chosen are . . . Olivia Ryan and . . ." Alicia stopped. She hadn't really decided on a second model. "We haven't decided on the second and third models yet. I'm having re-auditions at my house after school. If you already came, don't come again. If you couldn't make it yesterday, please come. This has been Alicia Rivera for OCD, saying I heart you."

Alicia smiled as she turned off her microphone and took off her headphones. She still couldn't believe that they had decided on Duh-livia Ryan. But Alicia had written a few rules of her own for Duh-livia. It was go time.

She walked back into the cafeteria. "Leesh!" Kristen ran up to her. "I can't buh-lieve you didn't even decide on the second model!"

"Sorry, Kris. But trust me on this. We'll get that second model," Alicia said.

"It turns out, I trust you way too much." Kristen rolled her eyes.

Dylan glared at Alicia. Claire just shrugged and looked down at her fingernails. Alicia snapped her fingers and tried to ignore the glares she was getting from Dylan and Kristen. "All right, PC! I know you're unhappy about Duh-livia Ryan, but I have a plan. Come on, let's go over to Table 3."

"Why would we go over to Table 3?" Dylan wrinkled her pert little nose.

"Trust me," Alicia said. Kristen rolled her eyes. Alicia ignored her and started walking towards the LBR section.

Once they got there, Dylan immediately started fanning the air. "Ugh, I think I've been corrupted. This area just radiates 'loser.'"

"Same," Kristen agreed.

"I don't think so," Claire said quietly.

Alicia just kept on walking until she reached Table 3. "Hey, Olivia," she said all friendly-like. Olivia and her LBR friends, Strawberry and Kori, exchanged a confused glance.

Finally, Olivia spoke up. "Thanks for choosing me as a model," she gushed.

"You're welcome," Alicia said. Strawberry and Kori turned up their noses, obviously still mad at not being chosen.

"So when's the first modeling session?" Olivia asked.

"It's probably going to be tomorrow, after the Briarwood Tomahawks game," Alicia said. "Do you want to come over this afternoon to help us choose our new model? You're officially part of the team now."

"Really?" Olivia's navy blue eyes brightened. "I'd love to come!"

"Great," Alicia said. "First of all, we have a few ground rules."

"But-" Olivia protested.

"Butts are for toning." Alicia reached into her tote bag and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. She unfolded it, held it out at arm's length, and read, "Ground Rules for Being a Model. Rule number one: You shall not interrupt Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, or Claire when they are speaking to you."

"Alicia-" Olivia tried.

"You're already breaking rule number one," Alicia huffed. Olivia recoiled. Alicia stood up straighter. "Rule number two: You shall do whatever Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire tell you to do."

"But what if-" Olivia interrupted.

"Rule number two: You shall do whatever Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire tell you to do," Alicia repeated herself, this time a little louder. "I am Alicia. I am telling you to not interrupt me. You have to obey." She cleared her throat. "Rule number three: You shall only speak when I give you permission to speak."

"Can I-" Olivia butted in.

"I have nawt given you permission to speak, Duh-livia." Alicia glared at her.

Alicia smirked. "Rule number four: You shall never complain about anything. As my kindergarten teacher always said, 'get what you get, and don't get upset.'"

"I'm nawt a kindergartener," Olivia whined.

Alicia ignored her, and continued. "Rule number five: If you can't handle the heels, then you will be kicked out." Olivia was silent. "Rule number six: If you insult Alicia, Kristen, Dylan, or Claire, you will pay the price."

"What's 'the price?'" Olivia asked.

"Rule number seven: You are not allowed to touch anything in the Rivera estate without permission. And that includes furniture."

"Am I just supposed to stand there all day then?" Olivia asked.

"We'll let you sit if it's absolutely necessary," Alicia snapped. "Moving on. Rule number eight: You have to shut up when I tell you to."

"But I_ like_ speaking!" Olivia insisted.

"Shut up. Rule number nine: You are not allowed to wear outfits that look better than ours. The Pretty Committee must always look the best." Olivia crossed her arms over her tiny A-cups. "And rule number ten: If you break any rule, you will lose all your modeling privileges. And you will be uninvited to the party."

Olivia paled. She sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll obey the rules."

"Oh, and one more thing," Alicia added. "These rules apply at school too." With that, she turned on her heel and left, exchanging a round of high fives with the Pretty Committee. Olivia Ryan was officially under Alicia's control.

* * *

**London, England**

**The Block Castle**

**Thursday, January 27th**

**8:49 P.M.**

Massie Block sat cross-legged on her bed. She stared at the crumpled up pieces of paper around her and sighed. She and her new LBFFs had been working hard at trying to think of Plan B for an hour. Things weren't going so well.

Massie groaned and put her head in her hands. London was so . . . different from Westchester. She thought about what James had said. Maybe she would give the LBRs a chance, by being nice to them. That was it! She would give all of the LBRs a makeover, and make them respect her. She would use the Be Pretty motto, Truth is Beauty. She would tell all the LBRs about their flaws, and hopefully they would be desperate for fashion advice from Massie.

She had to tell Julia and Vanessa. "Hey, girlies. I have an idea."

Julia blinked once. "What is it, Mass?"

"From now on, we are going to be nice to every single LBR at KISS. We're also gonna give each and every one of them a makeover," Massie said triumphantly.

"So they'll respect us more, right?" Vanessa asked.

"Exactly." Massie smiled. "We'll start tomorrow."

"We can start today," Julia piped up.

"How?" Massie asked. "It's 8:51 P.M. It's too late."

"Trust me," Julia said with a twinkle in her eye. "Where's your MacBook?"

"On my desk," Massie said suspiciously. Julia quickly plodded over to Massie's desk. She sat down in the chair. Vanessa and Massie exchanged a glance, and quickly gathered on either side of Julia.

Julia pressed a few keys, then stretched her arms out wide, ta-da style. "Voila!" she said. Massie squinted at the screen. It read "Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School Alumni List."

"Gawd," Massie breathed. Next to everyone's name was their yearbook picture. Suddenly, she knew what Julia's master plan was: to single out the LBRs that needed makeovers first, and then contact them to tell them about it.

Massie told Julia about what she was thinking. "Exactly," Julia said. "Good job for figuring it out!" Massie beamed. Vanessa stared at the ground.

Massie pointed at a picture of a girl with frizzy brown hair and glasses. Her name was Ashley Harrison. "Click on her," Massie told Julia. Julia clicked on Ashley's name and her profile popped up. Strange. Why did they write profiles on the alumni list? Massie saw that Ashley was a swimmer, blah blah blah, she had straight A's, blah blah blah, and-there it was-her contact info. Massie quickly scribbled down Ashley's email. "Move over," she said. Julia quickly got up to let Massie sit.

Massie opened up a new tab in her browser and signed into her email account. She quickly composed an email to Ashley:

_Hey Ashley,_

_You might not know me, but I'm Massie Block, the new girl from Westchester. I go to your school, KISS. I'm just gonna come right out and say it: you need a makeover. You need to condition your hair, and get rid of that chlorine smell. Just because you swim doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of your hair._

_Come home with me, Julia, and Vanessa after school tomorrow. (I'll pick you up-meet me in front of the building when school ends.) We'll be giving you and a bunch of other girls makeovers. You'll just love your brand-new look once we're done with you!_

_xx,_

_Massie_

She pressed send and looked at Julia and Vanessa expectantly. They flashed her a thumbs-up. Vanessa smiled and said, "Great!"

Massie scrolled through the alumni list and composed emails to about thirty other girls. Finally, an hour later, she was finished. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, exhausted. She checked her wall clock. It was almost 10:00 P.M. She swiveled around to face Julia and Vanessa, who were playing cards on Massie's bed. "Girls!" she said. Julia and Vanessa immediately turned to face her. "I'm done! Bring your hair and makeup kits to my house tomorrow, because we have ah-lot of work to do."

"Sounds good to me." Julia shrugged.

Vanessa, on the other hand, looked doubtful. "Are you sure this will work?" she asked.

"Positive," Massie said.

"Really?" Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "That's what you said last time about Plan A, and look what happened."

Massie put her hands on her hips. "I _promise_ that it's gonna work. And an alpha never breaks a promise. Ever."

Vanessa seemed satisfied, judging from the look on her face. She checked her Coach watch. "Mass? It's 10 o'clock. I have to go."

"Yeah, me too," Julia said. She got up and gathered up her bags. Vanessa did the same. "See ya, Mass!" She gave a small wave and she walked out of Massie's bedroom.

"Later." Massie half-heartedly waved. Once she was sure Julia and Vanessa were gone, she slammed her bedroom door and pulled on her pajamas. She didn't go to sleep, though. Oh, no. She had a makeover session to plan.

* * *

**Hmmm...I like shorter chapters. Sorry to those of you who wanted longer chapters, but I have basically one main theme/topic per chapter. I guess if I feel like writing longer chapters, I'll write longer ones. But I can't promise that. **

**Review! **


	12. xii

**A/N: Hey guys! It's been a while, I know. I've been really busy. But here it is, and I hope you like it! There might be more chapters like this coming up in the future, just to let you guys know. And by that, I mean chapters that only focus on what's happening in Westchester, or what's happening in London. Here's an all-Westchester chapter. You'll hear from Massie next time. Enjoy!**

**P.S. It finally feels like spring now! It's currently 84 degrees outside, where I live! **

**xx,**

**Rachel**

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**The Rivera Estate**

**Thursday, January 27th**

**4:57 P.M.**

Dylan Marvil picked at her already chipped turquoise nail polish and tapped the heel of her cowboys boots on the polished wooden floor of the living room. "Olivia," she barked. "Sit. Down. Now."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to touch the furniture." Olivia twirled a lock of wavy blond hair around her finger and batted her eyelashes innocently.

"'Rule number two,'" Dylan quoted. "'You shall do whatever Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire tell you to do."

Olivia rolled her navy blue eyes and took a seat on the couch in the middle of the room. She turned to face Alicia. "Can we start now?" she whined.

"The 'models' are still getting ready," Alicia snapped.

Dylan stared down at her cowboy boots. Alicia was in a really bad mood today, and Dylan didn't know why. Alicia had refused to talk during lunch, and when she did talk, it was to tell Dylan to "shut up and chew with your mouth closed." Claire and Kristen also had no idea why Alicia was acting this way. She was being super mean to the LBRs, which was a change from the past few days, when she was being super nice.

"Claire? Can you come help me?" a voice called from the bathroom.

"Coming, Layne!" Claire called back. She rushed to help her only friend outside of the Pretty Committee.

Alicia grabbed Claire's arm before she could go anywhere. "Why is _Layme_ here?"

"I thought this was open to anyone who wanted to model. And Layne wants to model."

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Layme wants to model?"

Claire nodded. "Yeah, she wants to model. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Alicia shrugged. "Not really, I guess." She turned to Kristen. "Who else is here?"

Kristen tucked a strand of dirty blond hair behind her ear and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Um, Strawberry and Kori," she said.

"And?"

"And no one else."

Alicia stomped her foot on the ground. "You mean only three people showed up?"

"Leesh?" Dylan spoke up. "Remember what happened yesterday? You sent everyone home because they were such LBRs. No one wanted to come back. Except for Strawberry and Kori, who didn't come yesterday."

"Wait a second," Dylan spoke up. "They _did_ come yesterday."

"Oh." Kristen looked surprised. "I guess they came again. But so what? They came anyway."

Alicia looked so mad, Dylan wouldn't be surprised to see steam coming out of her ears. "Fine. Strawberry and Kori?"

"Yeah?" Strawberry and Kori poked their heads out from the doorway.

"Come here."

They hesitantly walked over to Alicia. "Congratulations! You two have been chosen to be models in the fashion show!"

Dylan and Kristen exchanged a glance. What was Alicia doing? "Yay!" Strawberry and Kori cheered.

"Hey!" a voice came from the bathroom. "What about me?"

"There's always next year," Alicia snapped.

Claire came out of the bathroom with Layne right behind her. She had a hurt look on her face. "Why didn't you choose Layne? You didn't even see her model."

"Yeah, I would make a great model!" Layne said. "Watch me work the runway."

"This should be good," Alicia muttered to Kristen, who cackled.

"Watch this," Layne said. She started to strut down the runway with a hand on her hip. She was clearly having trouble walking in her 4-inch Jimmy Choos. She wobbled the way to the end, and just when Dylan was starting to think that Layme was actually okay, she tumbled off the runway. "Ow," Layne moaned.

"Layne, are you okay?" Claire rushed over to help her friend.

Alicia smirked. "Yup, you sure can 'work the runway.'"

"I'm fine," Layne said, getting up. She struck a pose. "Ta-da!"

There was an awkward moment of silence. Finally, Alicia spoke up. "Okay, everyone. The party, and the fashion show, is next Friday. We're going to meet every day after school, starting next Monday. Tomorrow is Kristen's soccer game." She smiled at Kristen. "Over the weekend, we will meet on both Saturday and Sunday. Check your e-mail inboxes for a schedule. And Layne? You can go now."

Upon hearing this, Layne slowly trudged out of the house, defeated. Claire rushed after her. Alicia decided to ignore Claire for now. She would deal with her later. Right now she had two-no, three-new models on her hands. And one of them was being a huh-yuge pain in the butt.

"I'm hungry," Olivia whined.

"Rule number four: You shall never complain about anything," Dylan said. "And P.S., models never eat."

Olivia glanced at the bag of chips in Dylan's hand. "So you must not be a real model," she said triumphantly.

Dylan fumed. "Oh, I'm allowed to eat. Right, Leesh?"

Alicia nodded. "She's Dylan Marvil. You're Olivia Ryan. Do those names sound the same? I think not."

"But Olivia and Dylan rhyme!" Olivia said.

Kristen burst out laughing. "My Gawd," she said.

"Alicia?" Strawberry spoke up. "Do those rules you made for Olivia apply to _us_ too?"

Alicia pursed her lips, then smiled a sugary sweet smile. "No, they don't."

"That's so unfair!" Olivia screamed. "Why should I be treated any differently?"

"Oh, Olivia darling, I thought different was _good_." Alicia smirked. She didn't care if she sounded extra bitchy; it was the only way to deal with Duh-livia. "So consider yourself honored. We took the time to make up these rules just for _you_."

"You're right!" Olivia's eyes sparkled. "Different _is_ good! And thanks, you made me feel so special."

Dylan snickered into her palm. Alicia really had a way of controlling people. Why hadn't they noticed it before?

Suddenly, Claire burst back into the room. "Is Layme okay?" Alicia asked.

Claire narrowed her eyes in a _why do you care_ glare. "Yeah, she's fine."

"Good. I was worried for a second," Alicia said. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Olivia, can you please get me a can of Sprite from the kitchen?" Dylan said, her voice dripping with faux-sweetness.

"Okay!" Olivia jumped up, eager to help.

"And Olivia?" Dylan asked. Olivia turned mid-skip. "You can't eat anything, remember."

Olivia grinned. "I know!"

Once Olivia was gone, Dylan, Kristen, and Alicia burst out laughing. Olivia was just so stupid. Claire just looked confused. Kristen tried to tell Claire what was happening, but she had trouble catching her breath. "Olivia . . . said . . . that . . . Dylan . . . and . . . Olivia . . . rhyme . . . and . . . Alicia . . . told . . . her to . . . feel . . . honored . . . that . . . we made . . . a bunch of . . . rules . . . just for . . . her . . . and she . . . actually . . . believed it," Kristen finished.

Claire cracked a smile. "Guess you guys are good at dealing with airheads."

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**The Soccer Sisters Game**

**Friday, January 28th**

**5:28 P.M.**

The next day, Kristen, Dylan, Alicia, and Claire piled out of the Rivera's limo. Kristen started running right away. The game started in two minutes, and she was supposed to be there at 5:15. Alicia had lectured the new models for a long time, so they had been short on time. Kristen had had to change into her uniform in the car. She sprinted towards the huddle of players, without stopping to say goodbye to her friends.

"Kristen!" Andrea waved her over. "You're finally here!"

Kristen stopped running to catch her breath. She plastered a smile on her face. "Hey, Andrea." She turned to face the coach."Sorry I'm late, Coach. It won't happen again."

"Hey, it's okay, Gregory," Coach Blair said, playfully punching Kristen on the arm. "It doesn't really matter if you're not here for pre-game discussions with the Soccer Sisters. All that really matters is that you're here for the game." He checked his watch. "All right, now get out there, and show the Soccer Brothers what you've got!"

Kristen stifled a laugh. Soccer Brothers? They could do better. "All right, team! Hands in!" The Soccer Sisters laid their hands on top of Coach Blair's, and Kristen added her own hand to the top of the pile. "One, two, three," Coach Blake counted.

"Soccer Sisters!" The team erupted in cheers. They ran out onto the field, and got into ready position. The referee blew his whistle. The game had begun.

* * *

"We lost her," Dylan said as she sat down at the top of the bleachers.

"No, we didn't," Claire said. She pointed at the field. "Look, the game's starting!"

"And there's Kristen." Alicia stood up and waved. "Hey, Kristen!"

"She can't hear us now," Dylan said.

"Point." Alicia sat back down.

"So, where's the camera crew, Dyl?" Claire asked.

"They should be here right about . . . now." As if on cue, a bunch of cameras popped out.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Alicia and Claire grabbed each other for support.

Dylan giggled. "Hey guys, welcome to Marvilous Marvils! You ready to start filming?" Alicia and Claire nodded. Dylan mouthed_ go_. The cameraman turned the camera on and zoomed in on Dylan's flawless face. "Aren't you guys so excited to see Kristen play?" Dylan gushed.

"Totes," Alicia said. She quickly ran her hands through her hair to make sure that there were no tangles. There weren't any. "I can't believe she got accepted into the Soccer Sisters!"

"Me neither," Claire chimed in. She glanced shyly at the camera, and brushed her white-blond bangs out of her face.

"So, it's been a long week . . ." Dylan urged Alicia and Claire to carry on a conversation.

Alicia caught on fast. "Oh! Right. Yeah, it's been a super long week."

"I can't believe you chose Duh-livia Ryan, Strawberry, and Kori as models," Claire teased.

Alicia crossed her arms over her chest. "Like I had any other choice."

"Um, hello? There was Layne!" Claire shot back. She quickly noticed a crowd gathering around them, eager to be on _Marvilous Marvils_. Claire suddenly felt bad for Kristen and the rest of the Soccer Sisters. No one was paying any attention to the actual game.

"Puh-lease," Dylan butted in. "Did you see her trip and fall off the runway?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Butts are for sitting," Dylan sing-songed. The crowd and the camera were eating this up. She tossed her professional straightened red hair over her shoulder and smiled for the camera.

"Look at Kristen!" Claire said, suddenly forgetting about their argument. Dylan whipped her head around to watch what was going on on the soccer field. The camera whirled around to capture what was happening as well.

Alicia gasped. "Eh. Ma. Gawd."

"Who knew she was so good at soccer?" Dylan breathed. Kristen was like a soccer machine, kicking and stealing balls every second. "Ehma-watch!" Dylan screamed.

Kristen had the ball, and she was navigating through a string of Soccer Brothers, concentrating hard on the goal. With a great amount of energy, she kicked the ball hard. The goal fumbled for the ball, but it slipped through his hands. "Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!" Claire cheered. Alicia whooped.

That was strange. Alicia was never a big fan of soccer, especially after Claire had kissed Josh after a game. Her mood towards soccer went downhill since then. But then again, soccer was never Alicia's sport.

"Gooooooo Kristen!" Dylan cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth. Kristen looked up and waved at the PC. Claire, Dylan, and Alicia waved back.

"Hey," Alicia said, turning her back on the game.

"What?" Dylan said.

"I just thought of something." Alicia tucked a loose strand of black hair behind her ear. "We've been a group of five since seventh grade. Having four feels . . . different."

"We had four before Kuh-laire came," Dylan said.

"I know, but . . ." Alicia trailed off. "I feel like we should continue the tradition, you know?"

"Where are you going with all this?" Claire said, joining them.

Alicia took a deep breath. "What I'm saying is, we should find a fifth member for the Pretty Committee."

Dylan's jaw dropped. "You're nawt serious, are you?" But Alicia's expression said that she was dead serious.

"I think it's a great idea," Claire piped up.

"Kuh-laire, if you're thinking that I'll let _Layme_ in the PC, then you're wrong," Alicia snapped.

"That wasn't what I was thinking."

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "Then what _w__ere_ you thinking?"

Claire smiled. "I was thinking that you should let_ Layne_ in the PC."

Dylan burst out laughing. Alicia tried to look mad, but then cracked a smile. "Whatever her name is, _Layme_ or _Layne,_ I'm nawt letting her in the PC, and that's final."

"Fine," Claire said.

"What about Allie-Rose Singer?" Dylan chirped. "She's totally Pretty Committee material. The only reason Massie didn't let her in the Pretty Committee was because she was too tall. But we're about the same height now."

"Easy for you to say. You're like, six feet tall," Alicia exclaimed.

"Stop exaggerating," Dylan said. "But still. Does her height really matter? Friends aren't all about trading clothes with each other, you know."

"Point!" Alicia raised her index finger.

"Ehmagawd, you're so right, Dyl!" Claire exclaimed. Dylan raised her eyebrows. It was the first time Claire had ever said _ehmagawd._

"So, what do you say let's talk to her at school on Monday?" Dylan asked.

"Sure," Claire said. "Let's run this by Kristen first, though."

"'Kay," Dylan said.

The three girls had nothing else to say, so they turned back to the game. This was Kristen's shining moment, and they wanted to be there for her.


	13. xiii

**London, England**

**Outside the London Mall**

**Saturday, January 29th**

**2:16 P.M.**

Saturday afternoon, Massie Block glossed her already shiny lips with another coat of Krispy Kreme Glossip Girl. She was standing outside the London Mall, ready to hit the stores with the newly made over LBRs. It felt exactly like the time she made over the LBRs from the Tiffany trailers. She felt a sense of pride for making them look ah-mazing.

"All right." Massie clapped her hands together and scanned the crowd of ex-LBRs. She was the queen, and they were her kingdom. "We will be here for about four to five hours. You're free to roam the mall and go to any store you would like. Before you buy anything, though, text me, Vanessa, or Julia. If you buy something without our permission, we _will_ make you return it. If you need any help, just text us and we'll be right over. Questions?"

A girl Massie recognized as Isabel Caldwell raised her hand. Massie quickly took note of her new glossy waist-length auburn hair. She had been upgraded from a 6 to a 9.6. Massie silently congratulated herself for a job well done.

She put her hands on her hips and faced Isabel. "Yes, Isabel?"

"What will you guys be doing this whole time?" Isabel asked shyly.

"Uh, I guess we'll be around the mall, trying to help you guys."

"Okay." Isabel nodded.

"So, you ready?" Massie asked, facing the crowd.

The ex-LBRs looked at each other hesitantly, and then nodded in unison.

"Good," Massie said, beaming at them. "Now go shop!"

The ex-LBRs burst excitedly through the doors of the London Mall. Massie was proud of herself for making their lives a million times better. They were _in_ now. They were outcasts no more. So this was how it felt to be nice. She should try it more.

"So . . . now what?" Vanessa said.

Massie whirled around to face her. "Hmm, let's check our phones for texts."

Vanessa and Julia nodded, and pulled out their iPhones. Massie pulled out hers as well. Sure enough, she had three texts already. Vanessa and Julia had none.

Massie opened up the first text. It was from Isabel._ I'm going into Burberry_, the text said._ I need a dress for your party on Friday. Yup, I'm going. :)_

"Hey." Massie nudged Julia. "People are RSVPing for the party."

"Omigod, that's great!" Julia said. She pulled out a blue notebook and jotted down the name _Isabel Caldwell._

"Great, so one person's coming," Vanessa joked.

Massie laughed. "Check your in-boxes again."

Vanessa and Julia did as they were told. They had both gotten a few more texts. A few minutes later, fifteen people had confirmed that they were going to the party.

"This is ah-mazing!" Vanessa said.

"I know, right?" Massie high-fived her.

"We better get going. People need our help," Julia said.

"Right. Julia, you take care of Marissa. Vanessa, you get Hailey. I'll do Sara, and-"

"Stop." Julia held out her hand. "_Sara Robinson_?"

"Do we_ know_ any other Saras?"

Julia shook her head.

"Exactly. And after that, I'll get Isabel. You guys, slowly work your way down the requests in your inbox. Any questions? No? Good. See ya! Text me if you need anything!"

Massie sauntered off into the mall. She made a beeline for Ralph Lauren, where Sara was waiting for her. She strode into the store confidently, and found Sara standing cluelessly by a stack of crisp polos.

"Hey, Sara." Massie walked up to her.

"Hey, Massie." Sara patted her deep conditioned white-blond hair fondly.

"So, what do you need in your wardrobe?" Massie asked, fingering a purple sleeveless T-shirt.

"Um, a lot of stuff, I guess," Sara mumbled. "But I don't have the money. Unlike the other girls at KISS, I'm not super rich."

"Oh." Massie pulled out her Visa. "Don't worry, I have plenty of money."

Sara's eyes widened. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course." Massie gave Sara a playful shove. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Sara's blue eyes filled with appreciation. "R-right. I just didn't know you thought of me as a friend," she stammered.

"Why wouldn't I? You're nice, you're sweet, you're funny . . ." Massie trailed off.

Sara smiled. "So I guess we should start with buying a few tops."

"Okay, sure." Massie shrugged. "By the way, why did you choose to come into Ralph Lauren, of all stores?"

"Um, my mom would get these Ralph Lauren catalogues and I would love looking through them."

"Hey, my best friend from Westchester, Alicia Rivera, loves Ralph Lauren too. You should meet her sometime."

"Maybe."

"What are you waiting for?" Massie poked Sara in the ribs. "We have some shopping to do."

* * *

**The London Mall**

**Juicy Couture**

**Saturday, January 29th**

**2:30 P.M.**

Julia twirled the pink streak in her hair and straightened her denim jacket. She was meeting Marissa Stewart in Juicy Couture. While she was waiting, Julia eyed a pair of sweatpants and tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. Marissa had said to meet her at 2:25. Where was she?

Suddenly, there was a_ ding dong_ sound, indicating that someone had just walked in. "Hey." Marissa appeared in front of her, panting and out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. My friend was trying on outfits, and she was asking for my opinion."

"It's fine." Julia mustered a smile. "So, what are you looking for today?" She almost burst out laughing at the line. It was something someone working here would say. And Julia was definitely nawt one of those people.

"Uh, I guess I need some jeans," Marissa said.

"Why did you choose Juicy?"

"I don't know much stores," Marissa admitted. "When I was in sixth grade, I lived in Washington, D.C. The popular girls would wear Juicy hoodies all the time, and I wanted to be just like them."

"Okay . . ."

"I moved here last year," Marissa continued. She tugged on her high ponytail, where her black hair was all bunched up. "Everything's so different here. Everyone knows designer brands. I've always felt so-"

"Um, shouldn't we start shopping?" Julia tried her best not to scream,_ I didn't ask for your life story!_

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. I tend to rant a lot."

"It's okay." Julia shrugged it off. She led Marissa over to the jeans section. "See anything you like?"

"Hmm." Marissa eyed the jeans selection for a while. She fingered a pair of dark blue flare jeans adoringly. "I guess I like this."

Julia widened her blue eyes. "Gawd, no."

"Is there anything wrong with it?"

"There's _everything_ wrong with it." Julia took a deep breath. "First of all, flare jeans are so out. Skinny jeans are in. The skinnier the better." She eyed Marissa's slightly chubby body disapprovingly.

"Oh, okay. So what would you recommend?" Marissa looked at Julia expectantly.

Julia tapped her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. She yanked a pair of white moonstone skinny jeans out, along with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and handed them to Marissa. She picked out a few more pairs, and gave them to Marissa.

"All set. Let's go to the changing room," Julia said.

"Okay." Marissa searched around for the changing room. Finally, she found it in the corner. She walked over to the changing room and closed the door behind her.

"Try one on and come out so I can see!" Julia called after her.

A few moments later, Marissa came out. "This . . . is . . . too . . . tight," she groaned.

"Really? It's a size two." Julia looked confused. "I'm a size zero, so I thought . . ."

"I'm a size six." Marissa blushed.

"Whoops." Julia covered her mouth, embarrassed. Marissa was probably embarrassed too.

"Sorry about that. I'll be right back." Julia yanked all the jeans off the rack and stormed back to the jeans section. Dealing with the ex-LBRs sure was hard.

* * *

**The London Mall**

**Miu Miu**

**Saturday, January 29th**

**2:39 P.M.**

Vanessa quickly slipped on a pair of glitter-soled mirrored-leather pumps, eager to try on some shoes for herself before Hailey Perkins arrived. She struck a supermodel pose and suppressed the urge to giggle. She was never cut out to be a supermodel, her mom always said that she was too chubby for that.

Just like that, Vanessa's smile faded at the thought of her mom. Mrs. Peterson was never a good mom, and she had no knowledge whatsoever about what good parenting was. She let Vanessa do whatever she wanted, and didn't even yell at her when she got a D in science in fifth grade. For a while, Vanessa had liked being able to do what she wanted, but then she learned that sometimes, it wasn't always good. It was nice to have a parent who actually cared about what you did. Staying up late at night wasn't fun anymore after she was allowed to stay up as late as she wanted. Vanessa was always a semi-rebel.

"Vanessa?"

Vanessa quickly slipped out of the shoes and put them back where she found them. She turned around to face Hailey Perkins, a short, brown-haired girl with thick glasses. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," Hailey said back.

"I thought Massie told you to get rid of those glasses and get contacts."

Hailey slapped herself. "Ugh, I totally forgot about that! Is Massie going to kill me? I don't want her to kill me," she whimpered.

"Relax. Massie isn't gonna kill you. She has a lot of other ex-LBRs to deal with. And we still have time to get you contacts before she finds out."

Hailey instantly stopped whimpering. "Okay, good."

"Now, down to business. You're looking for shoes, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay. So . . . got a specific type in mind?"

Hailey crinkled her brows. "Uh . . ."

Vanessa sighed. "Ballet flats, sandals, boots . . ."

"Oh. Right. Um, what's appropriate for this type of weather?"

"You would want boots, but personally, I think the flats are cuter."

"I'll get both then!" Hailey's expression brightened. She grabbed a pair of pink ballet flats with a bow at the top, where the toes were. "Ooh, this is cute!"

Vanessa nodded in approval. Those _were_ cute. So cute, in fact, that Vanessa wanted them for herself. She snatched up a pair in size six. "You have good taste. These caught my eye too."

Hailey smiled. She glanced down at the size of the flats Vanessa grabbed. "Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised. "You're a size six, too! We can trade shoes sometimes, if you want."

"Maybe." Vanessa shrugged.

"Hey!" Hailey pointed at the other pairs of flats. "They have this in other colors, too. Here's a glitter trimmed one." She grabbed two pairs of the shoes in size six and handed one to Vanessa.

Vanessa smile-thanked Hailey, and pulled them on. They fit perfectly. Hailey pulled on her own pair as well. "Omigod, we can be shoe twins!"

Vanessa wanted to roll her eyes and say,_ A lot of people in this world wear size six, you know,_ but instead, she smiled and nodded. She actually liked this Hailey girl. She was bubbly, and perky, and super nice. She was also kind of sensitive, but Vanessa could work with that.

"So I can't thank you guys enough for my makeover," Hailey gushed. She took off the glitter trimmed flats and pulled on the same ones in blue, except without the glitter. "You guys changed my life. Thanks for helping me pick out those makeup products yesterday."

"You're welcome." Vanessa felt a sense of pride for changing all these LBRs' lives. She had made them a thousand times happier than they were before. She loved seeing the smiles on their newly made over faces.

A half hour later, Vanessa found herself becoming friends with Hailey. They chatted about everything, from their personal lives to their favorite subject in school.

"Thanks for helping me," Hailey said.

"You're welcome," Vanessa found herself saying again. "You know, you guys aren't actually that bad."

Hailey smiled, even though she had no idea who "you guys" were.

* * *

**The London Mall**

**Food Court**

**Saturday, January 29th**

**6:48 P.M.**

Massie looked around the food court, frantically searching for the ex-LBRs. They had planned to meet at the food court at 6:45. But no one was there.

Massie sat down at a table by herself and pulled out her phone, ready to text Julia and Vanessa. Suddenly, she heard a giggle coming from behind her. She whipped her head around. "Who's there?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Surprise!" The ex-LBRs jumped out from their hiding places. Massie screamed.

"We just wanted to thank you for all your hard work. You made us look-and feel-so much better. So today, we're treating you to dinner!" Isabel Caldwell, the girl Massie had helped after she helped Sara, announced. She tugged on a strand of dirty-blond hair. "So what do you want to eat?"

"Uh," Massie stammered. "Just some pizza, I guess."

"Okay! Be right back." Isabel skipped away with a few of her ex-LBR friends. The rest of the ex-LBRs took seats at tables, eagerly watching Massie.

Massie didn't usually eat at the food court. The food was all really unhealthy, and most of it was fast food. But London was different. The food court was nice and clean, and there were gourmet restaurants. Massie decided to give it a chance.

Julia and Vanessa slid into the seats across from Massie. "That went really well," Julia said.

"Yeah, they're all really happy," Vanessa added. "And all of them are coming to our party, and they're telling their boyfriends too."

"Great!" Massie said, brightening. "Now I can proudly say _mission accomplished_."

Vanessa grinned. "So you know how I was helping Hailey Perkins? Well she's actually really nice. Underneath those thick glasses is a girl who devours _Teen Vogue_ as ferociously as I do. She might be a little clueless, but she knows her way around fashion."

"I met Marissa Stewart. She's pretty nice, I guess," Julia said.

"Sara Robinson and Isabel Caldwell are also pretty nice. We're semi-friends now," Massie said.

"I think we should let Hailey into our 'clique,'" Vanessa said.

"I think we should let Marissa into our 'clique,'" Julia said at the exact same time.

Vanessa and Julia burst out laughing at their simultaneous speech. Massie grinned. "I was thinking of letting Sara and Isabel in."

"So who are we letting in the clique?" Julia asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Massie murmured. "Back in Westchester, I was the alpha of the Pretty Committee, and there were five of us. Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons." She turned to Julia. "You remind me of Alicia. Congratulations, you are my beta." She turned to Vanessa. "You remind me of Dylan. Congratulations, you are my gamma. Now we just need two other girls."

"Why do we have to make things exactly like your old clique? Can't you break tradition, for once?" Vanessa said.

Massie contemplated this for a while. She didn't have to do things they way she used to do them. She was in London, after all. A new city. Where things are different. Maybe she could give change a try. She had promised herself to stretch more, and not be so commanding. Maybe this was the first step to getting rid of her Lycra-ing ways.

"Sure, why not?" Massie finally said. "So do you want all those girls in the clique?"

Julia and Vanessa nodded.

"Better yet, why don't we make friends with _everyone_? We don't have to restrain ourselves to one clique and one clique only. You can be friends with a lot of people, you know."

"Why not?" Massie said. "The three of us, we live in London now. Maybe it's time to make a change. It's the beginning of a new era."

"Amen, sister!" Vanessa said.

Massie grinned. Sometimes change was for the better. And she dearly hoped that this change that she would be making would turn out extremely well.

* * *

**So I finally gave you a sneak peak into Vanessa and Julia's thoughts. Get ready, there might be more of that coming up. **

**Review! It brightens my day to see them!**


	14. xiv

**Westchester, NY**

**The Pinewood Apartments**

**Saturday, January 29th**

**7:31 P.M.**

"Here's to Kristen's victory in the Soccer Sisters game yesterday!" Alicia cheered.

Dylan clinked her glass of Coke with Alicia's glass of Sprite. "Cheers!" she and Claire said in unision.

"Apple C!" Claire burst into giggles.

Kristen blushed. "Aww, thanks guys. You really don't have to-"

"No, we do," Alicia insisted.

Alicia had had this ah-mazing idea to have a sleepover tonight, in honor of Kristen and the Soccer Sisters. Kristen had done extremely well in the game yesterday, and the Soccer Sisters had won with an astounding 5-0. The night was supposed to be all about Kristen. Only, she didn't feel like she needed this. All she wanted to do was to snuggle up with Beckham and read a book.

"So, this night is all about _you._ What do you want to do?" Dylan prodded.

"Please don't say soccer," Alicia begged. "You know I stink at sports."

Kristen's eyes gleamed. "And that's why I want to do soccer."

"Nooooooo! Why'd you have to say that?" Alicia whined. "You just played soccer the whole afternoon yesterday! Gawd."

"Nope, sorry. You said we would do anything I wanted, right? And I want soccer."

Alicia groaned. "Fine. You win. _Soccer._ We can do that later. Now let's move on to other stuff. Why do you think Allie-Rose Singer left so suddenly at the end of the game?"

"I don't know," Claire said.

"Maybe she had to go somewhere," Dylan said.

"Ya think?" Kristen chimed in.

"So we're going to talk to her on Monday, right?" Alicia asked. Dylan, Kristen, and Claire nodded.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Should we get that?" Claire asked.

Kristen peered through the open crack in the door. "No, my mom's getting it."

A few moments later, Mrs. Gregory was standing in Kristen's doorway, with Strawberry, Kori, and Olivia behind her. "Girls, Strawberry, Kori, and Olivia are here to see you."

Alicia jumped up. "What are they doing here?"

"They said they were your models, and they wanted to talk to you." Mrs. Gregory left, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, Leesh!" Olivia grinned.

Alicia crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, Duh-livia!" she said with fake enthusiasm.

"Hey, Duh-livia!" Dylan, Kristen, and Claire chorused.

"Anyway, what are you three doing here? This is an exclusive sleepover," Alicia said.

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Olivia pulled out her iPhone and held it out for Alicia to see. "Cliques are OUT."

Alicia squinted at the screen. It was Massie's Current State of the Union blog, which she had decided to continue just a few hours ago. Sure enough, Cliques were OUT.

"What?" Alicia gawked at the screen. "How can cliques be _out_? That's totally imposs."

"If Massie said it, then it's true," Kori chimed in.

"Massie's always right," Strawberry sing-songed.

Dylan, Kristen, and Claire glanced at Alicia worriedly. Alicia took a deep breath, and said, "Massie's in London right now. Not Westchester, London. And because she's gone, you three have to listen to me. Maybe not everyone has to listen to me, but you three do. Why? Because of the contract you signed." Alicia pulled out the paper and waved it in their faces.

"But-" Olivia started.

"No buts. Out!" Alicia pointed at the door.

"If we leave now, Mrs. Gregory would wonder why we're leaving. And then Kristen would get in trouble." Olivia made a sad puppy dog face. "You wouldn't want one of your best friends to be grounded, would you? And your party's coming up on Friday!"

Alicia usually didn't have any violent tendencies, but she seriously felt the need to strangle Olivia. Somehow, she had learned to stand up for herself. And Alicia didn't like it one bit.

"Fine. You can stay," she finally said. Dylan shot her a death glare that said,_ What was that for?_ Alicia shot back,_ I'll explain later._

"Yay!" Strawberry, Kori, and Olivia cheered.

"We brought sleeping bags!" Olivia looked around the room stupidly. "Where do we put ours?"

"Yeah, where do we put our sleeping bags?" Kori echoed.

"Make some space for us, will ya?" Strawberry tugged on her red hair.

Alicia glanced at Dylan. Dylan rolled her eyes, but got up and moved the sleeping bags around, creating three empty spaces. Strawberry, Kori, and Olivia managed to squeeze their sleeping bags in. They each plopped down on their respective sleeping bags.

"So, what games do you have planned?" Olivia asked, digging into her duffel bag. She pulled out a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. "Want some?"

"Ooh, me!" Dylan said, reaching for one. But before she could grab one, Alicia stopped her.

"Dylan. We have to slim down for the party. And Duh-livia, you too. Put the Doritos away," Alicia demanded.

"But-" Olivia stopped mid-chew.

"Remember the contract." Alicia held her hand out expectantly.

"Fine." Olivia finally gave in, and shoved the bag of Doritos in Alicia's open hand.

"Thanks, hon." Alicia smiled. She dug her hand into the bag of Doritos and pulled out a few. She shoved it all into her mouth at the same time. After a few seconds of chewing, she swallowed. "Mmm, this is good."

Kristen and Claire burst out laughing. Dylan and Olivia glared hate daggers at Alicia. "What?" Alicia held up her hands. "This stuff is good."

"I thought we had to_ slim down_," Dylan said.

"Yeah," Olivia agreed.

Alicia rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "Anyway, so we were planning to do soccer-" She glared at Kristen, who stuck her tongue out at Alicia. "-but seeing that you guys are here, we're not going to do it. Besides, soccer is an outdoor sport, right? And we can't play at night."

Kristen stood up, shocked. "But we could just practice dribbling and kicking indoors! My mom lets me do it all the time."

"Do I look like I'm your mom? Anyway, I have an idea for a game. Actually, it's not my idea. I got it from a book I read. The game is called Never Have I Ever. I tweaked it a bit, but it's basically the same concept. When it's your turn, you say something that you've never done in your whole entire life. If someone has done that thing, then they have to take a Dorito chip. Questions?"

"Actually, yes," Olivia spoke up. "I don't get it."

"First of all, that's nawt a question. Second of all, let's just start. You'll figure it out as we go," Alicia said.

"I like this game," Dylan spoke up. "I get to eat Doritos, and no one's gonna yell at me."

Alicia ignored her. "Moving on. I'll go first." She sat up a little straighter on her sleeping bag, and stroked her newly curled black hair. "Never have I ever . . . run. You've never seen me run, right?"

Kristen cracked a smile, then dug her hand into the Doritos bag and pulled out a chip. Claire did the same thing. Dylan took a chip with glee. Strawberry, Kori, and Olivia also took a chip.

"It's like you're _trying_ to get us fat," Strawberry whined. Alicia silenced her with a glare.

"Claire, it's your turn," Alicia said sweetly.

"Okay." Claire straightened her white-blond hair. "Never have I ever gone into the boys' bathroom before." She waited expectantly.

Dylan grinned, and dug her hand into the bag. Claire's jaw dropped open. "Dylan, you've done that?"

Dylan nodded. "I was like, four years old, but I still did it. I was at summer camp, and it was a new place, so I didn't know my way around. I couldn't exactly read back then, so I wandered into the first place that looked like a bathroom. After I came out of the stall, I noticed a man there. I turned and ran out of the bathroom without washing my hands, it was so embarrassing!"

Claire laughed. "Anyone else?" No one moved to take a chip.

"My turn!" Dylan said. "Never have I ever gone to the mall without buying anything."

"Easy." Kristen ate a chip. Claire did too. Strawberry and Kori took chips as well. Olivia and Alicia stayed in their spots.

"Wow," Dylan exclaimed. "Kris, your turn."

Kristen cleared her throat. "Never have I ever cheated on a test."

"Oh, come on!" Alicia groaned.

"Never have I ever cheated on a test," Kristen repeated. She glared at Alicia, as if waiting for her to do something.

"Fine." Alicia threw her hands up. She reached over to the bag and took a chip.

Kristen smirked. "I knew it. Olivia, your turn."

"Never have I ever shopped at Target." She grinned, clueless to exactly what her words meant.

Claire gritted her teeth, and reluctantly took a chip. "Can I go next?" she asked Alicia. Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Never have I ever stolen someone's boyfriend or crush." She glared at Olivia.

Kristen looked guilty. "I stole Dempsey. I think that counts." She reached into the bag and took a chip.

Dylan looked even more guilty. "I stole Derrington. I'm pretty sure that counts too." She took a chip too.

Olivia sat there, unfazed. "Hello?" Claire tapped the bag. "You. Stole. Cam. Take a chip."

Olivia looked confused. "You guys were already broken up."

"I said boyfriend or crush. He was still my crush at that time. So take one. Now." Claire looked really angry.

Olivia shrugged. "Okay." She grabbed a chip. "Why are you so mad, anyway?"

"I'm mad because-"

"Woah, there. First of all, it wasn't your turn, Claire. Second of all, forget about the past. Three words: It doesn't matter," Alicia said, interrupting.

Olivia counted on her fingers. "That's five words."

Dylan, Kristen, Claire, Strawberry, Kori, and Alicia all burst out laughing simultaneously. "What?" Olivia asked stupidly. "It's five words, right?"

Alicia almost choked while laughing. "Never mind. Kori, it's your turn."

"'Kay. Never have I ever eaten a full pizza all by myself. And I don't mean one of those small pizzas from Pizza Hut," Kori said.

Dylan enthusiastically took a Dorito chip. "Big surprise," Alicia muttered under her breath. Kristen cackled.

But the big surprise was that _Claire_ also took a chip. "What?" She noticed all six pairs of eyes on her. "It was a dare. In fifth grade."

"Okay . . ." Alicia said. "Strawberry, your turn."

"Never have I ever crashed a party before," Strawberry said innocently.

Alicia held up her hand. "Liar. You crashed _this_ party."

"Leesh, from the way you were just acting, I thought you were enjoying yourself!" Kristen exclaimed.

"Yeah, Leesh," Dylan agreed.

"You did look like you were having fun," Claire said warily.

"Ugh, fine. So is anyone going to take a chip?" Alicia glanced around the circle of sleeping bags. "No? Okay. Let's move on."

It was hard to admit, but Alicia was actually enjoying herself. A lot. The sleepover was a chance for her to bond with the models. She was actually becoming friends with LBRs. They were actually kind of cool. Who knew Claire was actually right about something?

* * *

**London, England**

**The Block Castle**

**Sunday, January 30th**

**3:19 A.M.**

It was the middle of the night, and Massie couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her sleeping bag. She glanced at Julia and Vanessa, who were fast asleep with peaceful expressions on their faces. Lucky.

Ding! Massie raced over to where her MacBook was sitting on her desk. She had a new IM from HolaGurrl.

**HolaGurrl:** Hey, Mass! It's been a while since we last talked. I think it's about time we caught up with each other. I'm at Kristen's house-I mean, apartment-right now, and the entire PC is here with me. Olivia, Strawberry, and Kori are here too. (Don't ask.)

**Massiekur:** Heyyyyyy. :) How was the soccer game?

_Sexysportsbabe had joined the conversation._

**Sexysportsbabe:** Ah-mazing. We won 5-0.

**HolaGurrl:** Kris? How'd you get online?

**Sexysportsbabe:** U have your laptop, I have mine. And BTW, Mass, isn't it like 3 in the morning there?

**Massiekur:** Yeah, it is. But don't worry, I couldn't sleep anyway.

_BigRedHead has joined the conversation._

**BigRedHead:** Mass! Marvilous Marvils premieres in two weeks! Claire, Kristen, and Alicia are in it...not sure which episode though.

**Sexysportsbabe:** Let me guess...u brought your laptop too, Dyl?

**BigRedHead:** Yup. HolaGurrl: We're gonna b on TV. :)

**Massiekur:** Haha, gr8. Where's Kuh-laire?

_ClaireBear has joined the conversation._

**ClaireBear:** I'm here! And Kristen, I brought my own laptop 2. :D

**Massiekur:** Yay, we're all here!

Suddenly, Vanessa began to stir. She rubbed her tired eyes. "Mass? What are you doing?"

"Oh, just IMing my friends from Westchester. It's nothing, go back to sleep."

Vanessa yawned. "Okay. Heart you, Mass."

"Heart you too," Massie whispered. She then turned her attention back to the laptop.

**BigRedHead:** So...how's life?

**Sexysportsbabe:** LOL

**Massiekur:** I just made over a bunch of LBRs. They worship me now.

**Sexysportsbabe:** That's great!

**ClaireBear:** How come u were so nice to them at first?

**Massiekur:** Kuh-laire, get over it. 4get about the past.

**Holagurrl:** That's exactly what I had to say to Claire 2day, when she got mad at Olivia for stealing Cam. Gawd, that was back in September!

**ClaireBear:** Hey!

**Holagurrl:** You know I'm just kidding, sweetheart. Heart ya.

**ClaireBear:** Heart ya 2.

**BigRedHead:** Mass, are you going soft?

**Sexysportsbabe:** Yeah, do u actually like LBRs now?

**Massiekur:** Well . . .

**BigRedHead:** Ehmagawd, it's worse than I thought! O.O

**Holagurrl:** Hey, LBRs aren't bad.

**ClaireBear:** I 2nd that.

**Massiekur:** Once you get past their frizzy hair and makeup-free faces, they're actually really cool.

**Sexysportsbabe:** Well, I'm glad u think that now.

**BigRedHead:** Yeah. BTW, what's w/ you're new Current State of the Union blog?

**Massiekur:** I felt like starting it. U know, so I can stay in touch w/ the people back home.

**ClaireBear:** U mean, other than us? I thought we were the only people u contacted.

**Massiekur:** Well, u thought wrong. We don't want the LBRs 4getting about me, do we?

**Holagurrl:** Oh yeah, and y did u say that cliques were OUT?

**Massiekur:** I like some LBRs now. :) Wanna b friends w/ all of them.

**Sexysportsbabe:** Did London change u that much? That's nawt the Massie we know and love.

**Massiekur:** New city, new friends, new Massie.

**BigRedHead:** So is this "new Massie" alpha at KISS?

**Massiekur:** Actually, yes. Now I am. I just haven't won over the boys yet, but I'll get 2 that soon.

**Holagurrl:** Gr8!

**ClaireBear:** U know, it's been a while since we've last talked like this...

**Sexysportsbabe:** IKR!

**BigRedHead:** We've been talking 2 each other! Just not 2 Mass.

**Massiekur:** :) So how was ur day?

**ClaireBear:** Sleepover w/ O, K, and S. :/

**Massiekur:** ? Thought PC sleepovers were exclusive.

**Holagurrl:** They r. They crashed it. Threatened to tell Kristen's mom that they were leaving, and Kris would get in trouble. We wouldn't want that, would we?

**Sexysportsbabe:** Glad u didn't get me in trouble.

**Massiekur:** So how was the sleepover?

**BigRedHead:** We played Never have I Ever.

**Massiekur:** ? is that?

**Holagurrl:** A game I read about in a book.

**Massiekur:** How do u play? Wait, do I wanna know? How long is this gonna take?

**Sexysportsbabe:** Uh, it might take a while.

**ClaireBear:** But when we were playing, we found out that Dylan snuck into the boys' bathroom when she was 4. LOL!

**BigRedHead:** By ACCIDENT!

**ClaireBear:** U still did it.

**Holagurrl:** Duh-livia thought "It doesn't matter" was 5 words. Stupid much?

**Massiekur:** LOL

**Sexysportsbabe:** They're our models.

**BigRedHead:** Hey, we're planning on inviting Allie-Rose Singer to join our "exclusive" clique. What do u think?

**Massiekur:** She's still 2 tall

**BigRedHead:** Come on, Mass!

**ClaireBear:** U always said she was PC material.

**Sexysportsbabe:** Just that she was wayyyyy 2 tall.

**Holagurrl:** hiya this is olivia ryan i like flowurs and danceeng i miss u masie when r u cuming back from ur vacay

**Massiekur:** ?

**Massiekur:** I'm not on vacation. I moved 2 London.

**Holagurrl:** Sorry about that. She wanted 2 talk 2 u. Oh, here she comes again.

**Holagurrl:** oh oops i thot you were on vacay so how's londan

**Massiekur:** It's London-ish.

**Holagurrl:** on ur blog u said that clicks were OUT explan that plz

**Massiekur:** I don't know what a "click" is. Oh, you mean "clique?" Easy. Cliques are OUT. What part of that don't u understand?

**Holagurrl:** u've always had the pritty committi and u guys have ben bffs 4eve just makeeng clicks OUT all of a suddun

**BigRedHead:** This is hilarious x10 XD

**Massiekur:** Um, that's none of ur beeswax, Duh-livia.

**Holagurrl:** k, and did u know i'm a modul now that's all i have 2 say gudbye have a nice time in londan see ya

**Massiekur:** See ya...

**Holagurrl:** Okay, I'm back.

**Massiekur:** Thank Gawd. I think I lost some brain cells just reading that!

**ClaireBear:** O sure can be a handful

**Sexysportsbabe:** U got that right. Should someone go tell her that u have to plug in the hair dryer b4 u use it?

**Holagurrl:** She's smart enough to figure it out herself.

**Sexysportsbabe:** That was the most untrue sentence I have ever read.

**Holagurrl:** U know I'm kidding, Kris.

**Sexysportsbabe:** Kk good.

**Massiekur:** I g2g, sorry, my eyelids are getting heavy...must sleep...

**ClaireBear:** I guess we should go 2 sleep too

**BigRedHead:** R u kidding me? It's only 9:45! LET'S STAY UP ALL NIGHT!

**Sexysportsbabe:** Someone had a bit too many cans of Sprite...

**Holagurrl:** Point

**BigRedHead:** J'adore Sprite!

**Massiekur:** LOL, I really g2g now. Don't want 2 have bags under my eyes in the morning!

_Massiekur has signed off._

**Holagurrl:** What's the point of IMing when we can talk in person? Bye guys!

_Holagurrl has signed off._

_ClaireBear has signed off._

_BigRedHead has signed off._

_Sexysportsbabe has signed off._

Massie closed the IM chat box and shut down her MacBook. She wiggled back into her sleeping bag. It always felt nice to catch up with her old friends...

* * *

**I actually enjoyed writing the IM part a lot. I thought it was time the PC caught up with each other.**

**Do any of you know what Allie-Rose Singer looks like? I know that she's tall, but that's about it. She's going to be in the next chapter, I think. Or maybe the next next chapter. If you do, please tell me in a review! Thanks!**

**P.S. If you can figure out what book (or series) Never Have I Ever is from, you get ... uh ... a shout-out? If you know it, review!**

**Next chapter: More Julia and Vanessa! **

**xx,**

**Rachel**


	15. xv

**prissygurl333 - Actually, I'm pretty sure they didn't play that. You're probably thinking of another similar game.**

**Miyame-chan is right about which book I got it from. It's the Lying Game, guys. Go check it out! FanFicFanticGurl is right about the actual game. It's originally an adult drinking game, but ya know, we couldn't have eighth graders doing that, could we? -.-**

**And thanks for the info about Allie-Rose, miyame-chan. Allie-Rose won't be in the next chapter, but the chapter after that.**

* * *

**London, England**

**The Winters Estate**

**Sunday, January 30th**

**7:23 A.M.**

Julia Winters stood in front of her full-length mirror and twirled around. Her J. Crew pink and white striped cashmere sweater didn't exactly go perfectly with her sequin mini skirt, but she loved it. J. Crew leather ballet flats peeked out from underneath her white leggings. She swung her Coco Chanel leather beige tote bag over her shoulder, and skipped out the door of her room.

Julia pirouetted all the way to the front door. She was in an extremely good mood today, mainly because of what had happened yesterday. First, there was the makeovers. Then, there was the shopping. Finally, her new dance teacher had named her as the best dancer in the class, and London was full of good dancers. Julia knew she was good, but she didn't know she was_ this_ good!

_Ping._ She had a new text.

**Massie:** B there in 5. Get ready.

Julia shoved her iPhone back in her Coco Chanel leather tote bag. She quickly finger-combed her blonde hair, carefully running her fingers over the pink streak in her hair.

Massie had called her earlier this morning and told her that she would pick them up at 7:30 sharp, and not to bring anything. She didn't specify why, though. Because she didn't know where they were going, Julia didn't know what to wear. Finally, she had settled on the J. Crew sweater and her sequin mini skirt.

Julia played Subway Surfers on her iPhone until finally, the doorbell rang. "Bye, Mom!" she called. She raced out the door.

"Hey!" Massie poked her head out of the window of the sleek black limo. "Get in!"

Julia ran over to the car. She opened the door herself and slid in. "Can you tell me where we're going?"

Massie shook her head. "That would ruin the surprise." She rolled down the divider separating them from the front seat. "Isaac! Vanessa's house next!"

Massie rolled the divider down and turned to face Julia. "Well, don't you look cute today. 9.6."

Julia quickly gave Massie's outfit the once-over. She was wearing a DKNY beige and black belted silk dress and Manolo black suede boots. Only Massie could pull off something like that. "I give you a 9.8, but aren't you cold?"

"It's a little warmer where we're going," Massie said.

Julia raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow. "Ehmagawd, are we going to _Florida_?"

"You'll see." Massie re-applied her lip gloss. "Ah. We're at Vanessa's."

Vanessa burst out the front door of her mansion, and made a beeline for the limo. She opened the door. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Massie responded.

Vanessa slid in and closed the door. "Can you tell me where we're going?"

"That's exactly what I said!" Julia exclaimed. "And by the way, don't bother asking. She won't tell us."

Massie didn't respond. Instead, she examined Vanessa's outfit. She was wearing a red silk tank top and white J Brand jeans. She was sporting new Michael Kors ankle booties that were hawt x 10. "9.7," Massie immediately said.

"Aww, thanks," Vanessa said.

Massie dug into her Kate Spade tote and pulled out stacks of magazines. "We can read this while we're in the car."

Julia glanced at the huge stack of magazines in front of her. "Is the trip really going to take that long?"

"Well, the car trip isn't _that_ long. But the air-" Massie quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. "Oops, I've said too much. Here, take some magazines." She handed this month's issue of _Elle_ to Julia, and an old issue of_ Teen Vogue_ to Vanessa. Massie grabbed this week's issue of _Us Weekly_ to read for herself.

Julia sank back in the leather seat and began to flip through the pages. She skimmed through countless outfits and perfume samples. She tapped Massie on the shoulder. "Ehmagawd, smell this." She lifted up the page for Massie to smell. It was Dior J'Adore.

"Mmm, smells good," Massie said absentmindedly, and turned back to her own magazine.

"Do you mind if I rip this out? I really like this," Julia said.

"Why can't you just go to the store and buy it?"

"Um, hello?" Julia gestured towards her surroundings. "We're in a car. And you won't tell us where we're going."

"Fine. Take if it you like it that much." Massie bit her bottom lip and continued reading.

"Ohhhhh-kay . . ." Julia said, and returned to her magazine as well. Massie sure was acting weird today.

They continued to read in silence for a few more minutes. Finally, Massie straightened up and said, "Okay, we're arriving at our destination. Give me your magazines back." Julia and Vanessa handed their magazines to her. "Look out the window," she whispered.

Julia whipped her head around to look out the window. All she saw was the London Heathrow Airport. But what were they doing there?

It seemed like Vanessa was wondering the same thing. "What are we doing at the London Heathrow Airport?"

"We, my friends, are going to Westchester, New York to see my old friends, the Pretty Committee." Massie grinned. "We're six hours ahead of them, so it's only 2:00 A.M. there. But by the time we get there, it'll be 10:00 A.M. there."

"That's great and all, but when are we going to get back? And how long are you planning to stay there?" Julia questioned.

"We'll stay for about 12 hours. Are you guys okay with taking a night flight? I already checked with the headmistress about this, and she said that it was fine if we miss part of school tomorrow. Oh, and I ran this through with your parents. They're fine with it, too."

"Back up." Vanessa held up her hand. "Headmistress Dabney was okay with this? I thought she hated you."

Massie shrugged. "Well, she changed her mind. Lighten up, guys. I thought you would be happy to go back to the States."

"We are happy," Julia said. "It's just . . . this seems kind of sudden."

Massie's face clouded. "I just want to see my old friends, okay?" she snapped. "Now let's head in, we have a 9:00 flight and we're already semi-late."

Julia rolled her Tiffany's-box-blue eyes and followed Massie out of the limo and into the airport. This was going to be a long day . . .

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**The Pinewood Apartments**

**Sunday, January 30th**

**10:15 A.M.**

Claire Lyons sat up in her sleeping bag, yawned, and rubbed her tired eyes. The Pretty Committee plus Olivia, Kori, and Strawberry had stayed up until 3 o'clock having pillow fights and playing Never Have I Ever. Claire had only fallen asleep at 4 o'clock, because Kori's continuous snoring had kept her awake.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, jolting the other girls from their slumber. Alicia stretched out her arms. "What time is it, Claire?"

Claire checked the clock on Kristen's wall. "It's 10:16," she answered. Dylan yawned. "It's only 10:16. There's still time to sleep . . ." There was a thump sound as Dylan's head hit her sleeping bag.

Kristen slapped Dylan's arm. "Someone's at the door, and my mom isn't home. We have to go get it." As if on cue, the doorbell rang again.

"Ow!" Dylan rubbed her arm. "What was that for?"

Kristen ignored her and went to get the door. Her hair was messy, and she was in her favorite pair of Juicy sweats. Once she was gone, Claire turned to the other girls. "You guys better get up. What if Massie's here?"

"Wake up, Claire." Alicia snapped her fingers. "Massie's in London. Why would she be here?"

"Um, guys . . ." Kristen walked back into the room. The girls' jaws dropped when they saw who was behind her. It was Massie herself and two blondes that Claire didn't recognize.

"You . . . Claire . . . right . . ." Dylan stammered.

"Ehmagawd, I was right!" Claire jumped up to hug Massie. "See? I told everyone that you would be coming. I'm psychic!"

Massie pulled away from the hug. "Nice to see you, Kuh-laire. Hey, Leesh. Hey, Dyl. Hey, Duh-livia. Strawberry. Kori."

The girls waved as their names were called. "What are you doing here?" Alicia asked. She quickly pulled out a brush and started combing her tangled hair, afraid that Massie would start rating people.

"I decided to visit you guys. We had time today, and the headmistress was okay with us missing part of class tomorrow, so here we are." Massie smiled. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Yeah, we're happy," Dylan quickly said.

"Who are the girls behind you?" Claire asked.

"I'm Julia." The blonde on Massie's left, the one in the J. Crew pink and white striped sweater and the sequin miniskirt stepped forward.

"And I'm Vanessa." The blonde on Massie's right, the one in the red silk tank top and the J Brand jeans stepped forward.

"Hey." Alicia waved. "I'm Alicia. Call me Leesh."

"I'm Dylan. Call me Dyl, if you want."

"I'm Kristen. If you call me Kris, I will kill you." Kristen grinned. "Just kidding."

Claire flattened her white-blond bangs that were beginning to stick out. She quickly ran her fingers through her messy hair. She didn't want Julia and Vanessa to think she was an LBR. "Hi," she said shyly. "I'm Claire, nawt Kuh-laire."

Massie cracked a smile. "Whatevs, Kuh-laire. Missed ya." She blew Claire an air-kiss.

"Missed ya too." Claire blew Massie an air-kiss back. She crossed and then uncrossed her legs. "This was kind of a bad time to come, because we basically just got up and we're in Kristen's house, which isn't the best-"

Massie held up her hand. "Kuh-laire. We're here. And we don't care if you guys just woke up. It's time to par-tay!"

Kristen rubbed her tired eyes. "We can't 'par-tay' if we're nawt even dressed yet."

"Fine. I'm giving you guys ten minutes to get dressed." Massie tapped her imaginary watch. "Starting now."

"But, Mass," Dylan protested. "You take wayyyyyy longer than ten minutes, you know."

"This morning, I changed at super speed to surprise you guys. And aren't you surprised? Aren't you happy?"

Dylan didn't answer.

"I'll go change," Claire piped up.

Massie gave her a thumbs-up. "Atta girl, Kuh-laire."

Claire smiled shyly and got up from her sleeping bag. She dug through her duffel bag to find the perfect outfit. She had packed a bunch of clothes, just in case Alicia and Dylan deemed her outfit as too dorky. She pulled out a T-shirt that said "I LOVE NY." She really liked it, but it wasn't designer, so Leesh and Dyl probably wouldn't approve of it. She pushed some more LBR clothes to the side, and finally settled on a Ralph Lauren V-neck cable knit sweater, a hand-me-down from Alicia. She pulled out a pair of True Religion skinny jeans, also a hand-me-down, but it was from Dylan. Surprisingly, Claire could fit into it, because Dylan had worn it a couple of years ago.

"I call the bathroom!" Claire ran into the bathroom and locked the door. She tore off her Powerpuff Girl pajamas. Just as she was about to slip the sweater on, she couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation happening outside the door.

"Mass, why didn't you check with us before coming?" Kristen was saying.

"It was supposed to be a _surprise_, hello?" Massie said, rolling her amber eyes.

"Sometimes surprises aren't good." Dylan struggled to pull up her Guess jeans. After a few seconds of huffing and puffing, she finally pulled it up.

"Ew, don't change in front of us." Alicia turned in the other direction.

Massie pretended that that didn't happen. She turned to face Dylan. "Are you saying that I'm nawt good?"

"No, that's nawt-" Dylan started.

"Yes, that's exactly what you're saying! You guys don't want me here, do you?" Massie's amber eyes filled with sadness. She looked genuinely hurt.

"No, that's nawt what I-"

"Yes, that's exactly what you meant." It was creepy how Massie knew exactly what Dylan was going to say. "If you don't want us here, then we're leaving. Julia and Vanessa, let's go."

Kristen grabbed Massie's arm. "What Dylan means is, we kinda had . . . plans before you came."

Massie stopped in her tracks. "What plans?"

Kristen bit her bottom lip. "We were going to go shopping. Claire and I need new wardrobes, and Leesh and Dyl are willing to pitch in some money."

"Yeah, the PC has to all look fabulous," Alicia said. "Kristen's mom is actually okay with it." She giggled. "She thinks we're buying Kristen sweats." She finished combing her hair, and stuffed the brush back in her bag. Alicia shook out her black tresses, and cocked her head to the side. "How do I look?"

"Great, as always." Massie managed a smile. She turned to Kristen. "I can go shopping with you guys, if you want. I have great taste." She winked.

Upon hearing this, Claire brightened. "Yes, we want!" she screamed.

Massie whirled around. "Where's that coming from?" She made a beeline for the bathroom.

"No, don't come-" Claire started.

Massie opened the bathroom door. Somehow, Claire had unlocked it in the midst of everything.

"-in," she finished.

Massie gasped. Claire assumed that she didn't like seeing Claire wearing nothing but her bra and undies. "Sorry about that," Massie muttered. She quickly ran out and shut the door.

Claire heard bursts of laughter come from the other side of the door. She started to press her ear to the door, but then thought better of it. She had to get dressed, stat. She pulled on her sweater and jeans at super speed and made her way out of the bathroom.

"Ehmagawd, Mass, I can't believe you did that," Dylan was saying.

Kristen was bent over from laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face!"

Even Julia, Vanessa, Strawberry, Olivia, and Kori were laughing. "And Claire's!" Julia chimed in.

Massie's face was as red as Dylan's hair. "Stawp, guys. It's nawt funny."

Alicia playfully punched Massie on the shoulder. "Come on, Mass. You know it is."

A hint of a smile played at the corners of Massie's lips. "Okay, fine. It is." She began to laugh along.

Claire smiled to herself. Leave it to Massie to turn a situation where people were laughing _at_ her into a situation where people were laughing _with_ her.

Massie stopped to catch her breath. "Anyway, sorry about what I said earlier. It was a misunderstanding. So, are you guys okay with me going shopping with you?"

"Yeah, we're cool with it," Alicia said.

The laughter in the room slowly began to subside. Claire approached the others slowly. "Well, I'm dressed. How much time left, Mass?"

Massie checked her imaginary watch. "Hmm, I don't know. Ten seconds, guys!" she said, making up a time.

Claire giggled as she watched Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen began to panic. They began to dress at super speed.

Massie smirked and began to count down. "Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . ."

"Mass!" Dylan whined.

"Seven . . . six . . . five . . . four . . ." Massie didn't stop.

"Can you puh_-lease_ give us more time?" Kristen pouted.

"Three . . . two . . ." Massie continued.

"Argh!" Alicia screamed as she got herself stuck in her Alice + Olivia sweater. Claire stifled a laugh.

"One!"

"Done!" Dylan flattened her flaming red hair and straightened up. She had her shirt on backwards, and was wearing mismatched socks. Kristen did slightly better; at least she put her clothes on correctly. Alicia, on the other hand, looked like a mess. She was still stuck in her sweater, and her jeans were still sitting at the bottom of her feet.

"And the loser is . . . Alicia!" Massie joked.

"Hey, that's nawt fair! You know I'm slow." Alicia stuck out her bottom lip.

"I was just kidding, okay? And you guys didn't have to dress that fast. We have time."

"What? So I did all that for nothing?" Kristen groaned.

Massie smiled. "So, the agenda for today is shopping?"

Dylan nodded. "Yup. Lots and lots of shopping."

"Great, let's get going." Massie linked arms with Dylan and Kristen, then pulled away. "Um, Dyl, you might want to adjust your shirt."

"What's wrong with my-" Dylan turned her head around to look at the back of her shirt. "Oh."

Kristen cackled, her phlegmy laugh echoing through the room. Claire cracked a smile.

"Wait for me!" Alicia whined. She was still trying to get into her shirt.

"Um, excuse me," Olivia spoke up. "Do we get to go shopping too?"

"No, sorry," Dylan said faux-sweetly. "Get dressed now, because you're going home."

"But-" Olivia started.

"For the last time, butts are for sitting!" Dylan was starting to get annoyed with Duh-livia. "Now get dressed." Olivia rolled her navy blue eyes, but obeyed. "Strawberry, Kori, you too," Dylan barked.

"Sir, yes, sir," Kori mock-saluted. Strawberry giggled.

"So, are we ready to go?" Massie chirped.

"I'm . . . still . . . getting . . . dressed . . ." Alicia panted.

"Leesh, we'll wait for you in the lobby." Massie linked arms with Claire and Kristen. "Let's go shopping!"

"Yay!" Claire and Kristen cheered. They started to make their way out the door, with Dylan behind them.

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone knocking on the door. Massie, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire froze in their tracks. There was the sound of Marsha Gregory opening the door. Claire couldn't hear what she was saying, but it sounded like something along the lines of "Welcome!" and "Nice to see you."

They heard footsteps approaching Kristen's room. Massie squeezed Claire's hand. A figure appeared in front of them. The PC gasped.

They couldn't believe their eyes.

* * *

**O.O Cliffy! It's actually not that surprising, but it's semi-surprising. Who do you think it is? Leave a review!**

**New poll on my profile, go vote!**

**xx,**

**Rachel**


	16. xvi

**This is a semi-filler chapter...sorry guys. Just wanted to get an update out there. My birthday was yesterday, and yeah...well, here's a present for you guys. I got lots of presents, so I guess you guys deserve some too. **

**xx,  
Rachel**

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**The Pinewood Apartments**

**Sunday, January 30th**

**10:42 P.M.**

Standing in front of the Pretty Committee was none other than Landon Crane. Massie's ex-boyfriend. She had forgotten all about him. She glanced around at her friends. Their jaws were wide open, just like hers.

Massie pulled her head up to look at Landon. He had an extremely angry expression on his face, but he also looked like he was going to cry. Massie rolled her amber orbs. Not this again. Landon had bawled his eyes out when Massie had broken up with him. She didn't want to go through this again. When she saw someone cry, it made her want to cry. And Massie Block could _nawt_ cry in front of other people. It just wasn't alpha.

She stood up a little straighter, and almost reached Landon's height. "Are you the paparazzi, and am I Kim Kardashian?" It wasn't her best comeback, but it would do.

"You don't even look like her," Landon mumbled.

"Then why are you stalking me?" Massie snapped. She crossed her arms over her chest. "How did you even know I was coming to New York?"

Landon pulled out his iPhone and opened up the Facebook app. "You posted it on Facebook."

Massie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Let me see." She craned her neck to catch a glance of the iPhone screen. Sure enough, right on top was her newest post, from this morning.

**Massie Block:** Going 2 NY w/ J and V. Shhh, don't tell. It's suppose surprise!

"Do you stalk my Facebook page?" Massie questioned.

"Well . . ." Landon trailed off. His face turned a deep shade of red. He stuck his hands in his pockets and didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Ehmagawd, you _do_ stalk my Facebook page!" Massie looked shocked. "Get over me, Landon. I live in London now. London,_ England._ That's L-o-n-d-o-n, E-n-g-l-a-n-d."

"I know how to spell, Massie." Landon sighed. "I just want you back."

"Why would you want me back? I told you it wasn't going to work," Massie said, exasperated.

Landon stared down at his iPhone for a few seconds. "Look at your post."

**Massie Block:** Got a new crush, James Weinstein. He's hawt x 10. Aaaaand...I think he likes _moi._

"Who is this James guy, huh?" Landon narrowed his eyes.

"He's no one. Now puh_-lease_ get out of Kristen's house. We have some shopping to do."

Landon grabbed her arm. "Not until you say you'll take me back."

Massie jerked her arm away. "I live on a whole other continent how. Long-distance relationships _never _work out. So no. I thought we agreed to be friends."

"Yeah, well I don't want to stay friends."

"Then I guess we won't be friends. Simple as that." Before Landon had a chance to respond, Massie sashayed out the front door, with Dylan, Kristen, Claire, and Alicia, who was dressed by now, following closely behind her. Once everyone was out, Massie slammed the door angrily.

She turned to the Pretty Committee. "Who does he think he is? Would I really take him back just like that?"

"Nawt a chance." Alicia shook her head.

"I second that," Kristen piped up.

"I third that," Dylan chimed in.

"I . . . fourth that?" Claire giggled.

Suddenly, Massie remembered something. _Vanessa and Julia._ Should she take them along? Probably yes. They were her new friends, and they deserved to come along after all. But Massie had been looking forward to a whole day with the PC. Then again, she had invited Vanessa and Julia here. It would be rude to leave them behind. Massie pulled out her iPhone and fired off a text to Vanessa and Julia.

**Massie:** Sorry I 4got u guys. Ur free 2 come. We're waiting outside the apartment. Hurry.

A few moments later, Julia and Vanessa burst out the front door. "We thought you forgot about us, Massie," Julia said.

"Yeah," Vanessa echoed.

"Well, I didn't forget." Massie linked her right arm with Julia's and her left with Vanessa's. "Ready to do some shopping, girlies?"

Everyone nodded.

"To the mall we shall go!"

"To the mall we shall go!" the girls chorused.

"Apple C!" Claire shouted, giggling.

* * *

**The Westchester Mall**

**Changing Room at Barneys**

**Sunday, January 30th**

**12:49 P.M.**

"Does this skirt make me look fat?" Dylan stepped out of the changing room, and twirled around in a Dolce & Gabbana black pencil skirt.

Kristen tapped her chin, contemplating. Dylan had lost weight lately, for _Marvilous Marvils,_ so she looked skinner. She was still self-conscious about her weight, though, even though she was so skinny.

Before Kristen could respond, Massie jumped in. "It makes you look too skinny. You've lost too much weight. And that's a size four. You can _nawt_ wear size 4 anymore."

"Point!" Alicia chimed in.

"Yes!" Dylan did a victory jump. "Finally, I've lost weight! What size do you think I am now?"

"Try a size two." Massie pulled out a Lanvin pencil skirt in size two and handed it to Dylan. "Here."

Dylan accepted it graciously and tried it on. It fit perfectly. "Thanks, Mass! You're the best!"

Massie smiled. "Anytime." She turned to Alicia, who was searching through the shoes to find the perfect pair to wear at the party on Friday. "Leesh, have you decided on a dress yet?"

"Well, I can't decide between a Dolce & Gabbana vintage belted dress, a Burberry lace gown, or a Pucci lace dress to wear when I'm not modeling at the party. I bought all of them, and they're at home right now. But they're all basically the same color." Alicia turned back to search through the shoes.

Massie closed her eyes and tried to imagine what the three dresses looked like. She opened her eyes, and immediately spotted a pair of leather open toe Manolos with an oval rhinestone at the toe. "What about these? They look cute." She checked the price tag. "And they're only $755."

Kristen burst out laughing. "Oh, Mass, you crack me up. _Only_ $755."

Julia and Vanessa looked confused. "I thought you guys could all afford stuff like that," Vanessa said. "We sure can."

Kristen panicked for a second, but then straightened up. "Oh, right. I meant that's a lot for a pair of Manolos."

"I've seen some Manolos that are over 1,000 dollars." Julia grabbed a pair of white Manolo pumps with an oversized rhinestone-embellished flower detail at the toe. "See?" She checked the price tag. "$1,295."

"Uh," Kristen stammered.

Dylan snickered. "Most of the shoes you wear are free," she muttered under her breath. She was referring to how Kristen always got hand-me-downs from the rest of the PC, not including Claire. So every pair of shoes in her closet were basically free. She didn't have to pay for them.

Kristen shot Dylan a death glare. "I heard that."

"Sorry." Dylan rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, what are you guys planning to model at the party?" Massie asked, wanting to stop the fight before it got out of hand.

"Um, Principal Burns is choosing," Claire spoke up.

"She gave us portfolios with the outfit descriptions. We're supposed to be fitted for them tomorrow during school," Alicia said. "Don't underestimate her. The outfits she chose are pretty good."

Dylan shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't her."

"You get to skip school? Lucky," Massie pouted. "So is she, like, sponsoring this event or something? Wow, imagine that. Principal Burns sponsoring a_ party_, of all things."

"I know, right?" Alicia giggled at the thought of Principal Burns not just going to a party, but _encouraging_ the hosts to throw a party.

"Wait, is she going to be at the party?" Massie asked.

"Sadly, yes," Kristen said.

"That sucks." Massie clicked her tongue. "So I have news about our party! People have been RSVPing all day long."

"Yay," Alicia said half-heartedly. She was focused on a tan Balenciaga clutch. "You think that clutch will go with those Manolos?"

"Yes, Leesh. Ahb-viously. Kris, are you gonna buy anything for the party?" Massie turned her attention to Kristen.

"You know I can't-" Kristen started to say, but then stopped after Massie shot her a death glare. "I mean, sure, I guess," she lied. "Of course I have the money. Why wouldn't I?"

Julia and Vanessa exchanged a glance. Kristen released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Massie suddenly disappeared, then reappeared with a white Rag & Bone dress and black Christian Louboutins in her hands. "Kris, look what I found for you!" she sing-songed.

"Perfect," Kristne gushed. "How much do they cost?" she whispered in Massie's ear.

"The dress is $395, and the shoes are . . . it doesn't matter how much they cost, I'm buying it for you okay?" Massie whispered back.

"Thanks, Mass!" Kristen hugged Massie.

"No prob." Massie pulled out of the hug. "Here, take this cash. Don't pay with my credit card, because you don't look anything like Massie Block." Massie dug into her purse and pulled out a bunch of hundred-dollar bills. Kristen stared at them in awe. "Don't stare like you haven't seen money before," Massie hissed. "Remember, you're supposed to be rich, and living in the Matador building. At least that's what I told Julia and Vanessa."

"Right." Kristen nodded. She graciously took the money from Massie. "You still carry around dollar bills? I thought you would've switched to euros."

"I've been preparing for this day," Massie admitted.

"Thanks for the money, Mass. How would I ever live without you?"

"You wouldn't," Massie said mysteriously.

Kristen smiled, and they made their way back to the rest of the group. "There's nothing I like here," they heard Claire whine.

"They don't sell Keds here, Kuh-laire," Massie said. "This is _Barneys._"

"The only Barney I know is purple, green, and a dinosaur," Claire confessed. "I've never even heard of this store before."

Massie put her hand over her heart. "That's really sad." She pretended to shed a tear. "Your fashion choices have really been . . . limited if you have never heard of Barneys."

Alicia and Dylan burst out laughing simultaneously. Kristen added her phlegmy cackle to the laughter. Julia and Vanessa decided to join in on the laughter too. Massie cracked a smile, then started laughing along. Claire was the only one who wasn't laughing, but then she decided to join in as well. Soon, they were all clutching their stomachs and doubling over with laughter, just like this morning.

"Oh, you guys," Massie said after a few minutes of laughing. "Why were we even laughing in the first place?"

Kristen shrugged. "I have no idea."

Massie put her hands on her hips and went over to the dress section to pick out a dress for Claire. She barely glanced at the sexy black minidresses, knowing that they wouldn't be good for Claire. Her eyes skimmed over the long, flowing floor-length gowns as well. Finally, she spotted a simple pale blue J. Crew silk chiffon dress. There were no designs on it, no ruffles, nothing. It was perfect for Claire.

Massie yanked it off the rack and skipped back to the group. She thrust the dress into Claire's arms. She caught, it surprised.

"Is this for me?" she squeaked.

"No, it's for _Barney_."

Claire grinned. "Thanks, Mass. You're paying, right?"

Massie checked the price tag. The dress actually wasn't that expensive according to her standards, but obviously, Claire's standards were different. "I'm paying, unless you can cough up $180."

"You're paying," Claire immediately said.

"I saw this dress, and immediately thought of you. It's so perfect for you," Massie gushed.

"Mass, are you going to buy anything for _yourself_?" Kristen asked.

"Probably not. But the point of this trip was to see you guys and have fun. Now I can proudly say, _mission accomplished."_


	17. xvii

**So I'm gonna try to update more...check my profile for more details! I'll try my best. Cross my heart and hope to die. **

* * *

**Westchester, NY**

**Octavian Country Day**

**Monday, January 31st**

**7:37 A.M.**

Claire Lyons jumped out of Alicia's limo after Kristen, Dylan, and Alicia. They all waved goodbye to George. Once the sleek black limo was rounding the corner, Alicia made them all stand in a straight line for ratings. It had seemed like forever since they'd done ratings.

It was unusually warm for a late January day. It was like the gods knew that this was the week of the party, so they were giving them bright sunny days. It was also the day that they were going to befriend Allie-Rose Singer, and nothing could go wrong.

Claire watched as she turned to face Dylan first. Alicia scrunched up her eyebrows as she analyzed Dylan's Alice + Olivia leopard print silk top, denim jacket, Guess dark wash skinny jeans, and Tory Burch open-toed ballet flats. Her hair was super straight, and her green eyes looked especially bright. "9.4," she blurted.

"9.5," Kristen added.

"9.5." Claire nodded in agreement.

"Next!" Alicia turned to face Kristen and analyzed her pale green Ralph Lauren cable-knit V-neck sweater, white J Brand skinny jeans, and black Prada knee high boots. Her dirty blonde hair was in a high pony. "9.3."

"9.2," Dylan said.

"9.3," Claire chimed in.

Nodding, Alicia turned to face Claire. Claire stared down at the ground as Alicia analyzed her dark pink Joie silk top (hand-me-down from Massie), a ruffly skirt in the same color from who-knows-where, white leggings, and dark pink Keds. Her white-blonde hair cascaded down in waves. "A solid 9!"

"9.1," Dylan burped.

"Eww." Kristen giggled. "9.1."

"Yay!" Claire grinned. She loved it when her outfit rating was in the 9's. "What can I do to get higher?"

"Get rid of those Keds," Alicia joked. "I'm kidding. I know how much you love those. Just put on some lip gloss."

Claire nodded, then began to examine Alicia's outfit along with Dylan and Kristen. She was wearing a Stella McCartney white lace top, black True Religion skinny jeans, and tan Miu Miu ballet flats. Her black hair looked super glossy today, and her nails were perfectly French manicured. "9.7," she blurted.

"9.8," Kristen said.

"9.7." Dylan tugged on a strand of flaming red hair.

Alicia grinned, satisfied. "We're walking to _Here's to Never Growing Up_ by Avril Lavigne." The Pretty Committee hurriedly got in formation, and together, they began to walk towards the front entrance.

_Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs_  
_With the boom box blaring as we're falling in love_  
_Got a bottle of whatever, but it's getting us dr-_

At the sound of the word _drunk,_ Claire burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen stopped in their tracks. "Kuh-laire, are you a five-year-old?" Alicia whirled around to face Claire.

"No."

"Then grow up," Alicia snapped. "This isn't kindergarten; _drunk i_s a big-girl word. Are you a big girl, Claire?"

Claire gasped. Why was Alicia being so mean? She thought that Alicia had turned nice lately. But then again, she probably wanted to show Allie-Rose that she was the alpha, and that she could control the members of the Pretty Committee.

"Yes, I'm a big girl," Claire responded.

"Good. Ugh, you made us lose formation," Alicia groaned. "Girls, let's start over."

_Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs  
With the boom box blaring as we're falling in love  
Got a bottle of whatever, but it's getting us drunk  
Singing here's to never growing up_

By then, the Pretty Committee had already reached Allie-Rose's locker. She was peering into the mirror, obviously touching up her makeup. Her long black hair reached down to her waist, and her piercing green eyes sparkled. She was still tall, but the Pretty Committee had pretty much caught up to her in height.

Alicia tapped Allie-Rose on the shoulder. "Hey, Allie-Rose? Can we talk to you for a second?"

Allie-Rose put the finishing touches on her mascara and retrieved her books. She slammed her locker door shut and turned to face the PC. "Hey! OMG, I'm so excited for your party this Friday? It's going to be epic!"

Alicia smiled gratefully. "Thanks, girl! Anyway, are you interested in joining the Pretty Committee?"

Allie-Rose's cat-like green eyes brightened. "Sure, I'd love to! But why are you asking all of a sudden?"

"We think that you're perfect for the PC," Dylan spoke up. "We always thought you were, Massie just thought that you were a little too tall, and 'we wouldn't be able to borrow your clothes.'" She put air quotes to show that Massie said it, not her. "Speaking of your clothes, I just heart your dress! Is it BCBG?"

"Ye-" Allie started to say, but was cut off by Alicia.

"Welcome to the Pretty Committee!" Alicia said. "From now on, you are cordially invited to Friday night sleepovers, Table Eighteen, and you're entitled to hear about juicy gossip that only we know."

"Leesh, why so formal?" Kristen teased.

Alicia rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "Welcome to the top of the social ladder! You're officially _in._ Not that you weren't in before. It just wasn't official."

Dylan cleared her throat. "Great, so here are some ground rules. Fir-"

Alicia slapped Dylan on the arm. "What are you doing?"

"Laying out some ground rules. What does it look like I'm doing?" Dylan snapped. "Anyway, where was I?" She turned back to Allie-Rose. "Oh, right. Ground rules. First of all, you're officially the new omega. Alicia's the alpha, I'm the beta, Kristen's the gamma, and Claire's the delta. So that makes you the omega."

"Secondly," Kristen chimed in. "Ratings are done every morning. If you get lower than a 9, you will be forced to walk behind us during our grand entrance."

"I thought it was 7," Alicia interrupted. "That's what Massie said."

"Yeah, we're tightening our grip on things," Kristen said.

"Um, excuse me? Are you the alpha? I think not." Alicia put her hands on her hips.

"Girls, stop fighting," Claire said.

"Third of all," Dylan continued. "Since we don't know you that well, you won't be able to know any of our deep, dark secrets. We need to earn your trust."

"You guys have secrets?" Allie-Rose asked, astonished. "And how can I earn your trust?"

"Yes, even pretty girls have secrets," Kristen said.

"And about how you can earn our trust . . ." Dylan trailed off. "We'll focus on that later. Right now, we need your help with the party. And modeling. Would you like to be a model?"

"Sure, of course!" Allie-Rose chirped. "I wanted to go to auditions, but I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and a dentist's appointment on Thursday. So I missed it. Do I still need to audition?"

"Nah, it's fine," Dylan said. "We all know you're perfect model material."

"Aww, thanks," Allie-Rose said, flattered.

"Fourth of all," Kristen said. She looked at Dylan. "Is there a fourth of all?"

"I don't think so," Dylan responded.

"Meet us at Table Eighteen during lunch," Alicia said. "Don't be late."

"Okay!" Allie-Rose exclaimed. "This is gonna be great!"

Indeed it was.

* * *

**Octavian Country Day**

**The Cafeteria**

**Monday, January 31st**

**12:06 P.M.**

Allie-Rose Singer watched as Alicia confidently walked back into the cafeteria with her head held high after her daily lunchtime news broadcast. She admired the way Alicia was so confident all the time. She still couldn't believe that they had asked _her,_ Allie-Rose Singer, of all people to be part of the Pretty Committee. It was something she had dreamed about since, well, forever.

She stared down at the grilled cheese sandwich in her hand. Would they think she was immature for eating that? She adjusted her feather earrings. Did they think feather earrings were so last season? Did they think her hair was too-

Allie-Rose shook her head in an effort to clear her mind of these thoughts. They wanted her in their clique, which meant they already thought very highly of her. She shouldn't be worried.

She looked up just as Alicia slid into the seat at the head of Table Eighteen. "Hola, chicas!" she chirped.

"Hey, Leesh," Dylan, Kristen, and Claire chorused.

"Uh . . . hi," Allie-Rose managed.

"So let's talk party," Alicia said. "So the party starts at 7 and we're gonna let people mingle and eat for a while. Then, at 8, we'll open up the runway, and we'll show OCD what we've got. At 7:45, you guys have to report to my room to get ready."

"Hold on." Dylan held up her hand. "Are we still doing the clothing sale?"

"We didn't buy all those clothes for nothing, did we?" Alicia said. "Oh yeah!" Her chocolate brown eyes suddenly brightened. "We'll also make a lot of money from this."

Dylan snorted. "Like we need money."

"We do!" Claire and Kristen insisted simultaneously.

Allie-Rose raised her eyebrows. Since when did Claire and Kristen need money? She thought everyone in the Pretty Committee was rich. "Um, why would you guys need money?" she asked.

She saw Alicia shoot Kristen and Claire a death glare out of the corner of her eye. "I meant, we need money to donate to charity. We're nice people who love to help others," Kristen said.

"Yeah," Claire agreed.

Allie-Rose still thought something was suspicious, but decided to let it slide. Kristen and Claire were obviously the two nicest people in the Pretty Committee. By far. It made sense that they would want to donate to charity.

"Hey." A blonde head popped up next to their table. It was Olivia Ryan. It didn't take a genius to know that the Pretty Committee absolutely _loathed_ her. You could tell from the way their smiling faces suddenly turned into frowning ones.

"Duh-livia, what are you doing here?" Alicia snapped.

"Oh, I was just wondering. When do I have to model for you guys again?" Olivia asked innocently.

Kristen burst out laughing. "You're not modeling for us, Duh-livia. You're modeling _with_ us."

"And the party's on Friday," Dylan added. "Be at Alicia's house at 7. Report to Alicia's room at 7:45 to get ready for modeling. We open the runway at 8."

"Where's Alicia's house?" Olivia asked stupidly.

"You were just there last week!" Dylan laughed.

"Oh, right. Sometimes, I'm so stupid," Olivia said.

"You got that right," Dylan said.

"Not sometimes._ All_ of the time," Kristen said.

"Point!" Alicia giggled.

Allie-Rose stared down at her sandwich, not sure what to do. She didn't exactly have a mean streak in her, and she wasn't good at insults. She noticed that Claire was quietly eating gummy worms, not saying a word either. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't alone in this.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Olivia left and went back to her table. Alicia pretended to wipe a bead of sweat off her forehead. "Phew. At least that's over." She reached into her leather Coach bag and pulled out five laminated sheets to paper. She handed them out to everyone at Table Eighteen. "This is the itinerary for Friday."

Allie-Rose glanced down at the paper in her hands.

Itinerary for Friday, February 4th  
6:30 A.M. - wake up, take shower (deep condition!)  
6:45 A.M. - blow dry hair  
7:00 A.M. - makeup and nails - don't eat breakfast!  
7:30 A.M. - leave for school in Alicia's limo  
7:50 A.M. - arrive at school  
12:00 P.M. - last-minute dress adjustments with Karina, Dylan's personal stylist  
12:20 P.M. - light lunch at Slice of Heaven  
12:45 P.M. - back to school  
3:25 P.M. - school lets out  
3:45 P.M. - arrive at Alicia's house  
3:50 P.M. - hair by Jakkob  
5:00 P.M. - run through modeling  
5:50 P.M. - set up decorations and food  
6:30 P.M. - last-minute preparations  
7:00 P.M. - party!

"Wait, so I get to ride with you guys to school every morning from now on?" Allie-Rose asked.

"Given," Alicia said. "It's one of the privileges of being in the Pretty Committee."

Allie-Rose smiled. "Great."

Alicia folded her hands in her lap. "So, is everyone okay with the schedule?" The Pretty Committee nodded. "Okay." Alicia turned to face Allie-Rose. "I'm going to inform you about our nicknames real quick. I'm Leesh. Dylan's Dyl. Kristen's Kris. And Claire's . . ."

"I'm Kuh-laire," Claire said.

"That's not really a nickname," Alicia said.

"What about Kuh?" Dylan said with a serious look on her face.

"Kuh. I like that," Kristen said with the same serious look.

"Yeah," Alicia added. "Hey, Kuh."

Everyone at the table burst out laughing at the same time. Allie-Rose's insides filled with happiness. This was what it felt like to be on the inside of a Pretty Committee inside joke. She loved it.

Once everyone caught their breath and stopped laughing, Alicia said, "Welcome to the Pretty Committee. Hope you enjoy your stay."

Which sent everyone into yet another laughing fit.

Allie-Rose cracked a smile. She was finally accepted by the hottest, coolest, most A-list girls in school. And she couldn't be happier.

* * *

**Review?**


	18. xviii

**Yeah, I know it's ****been a while. Lol. I'm a busy girl. But I'm on an updating roll now. **

* * *

**London, England**

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**Tuesday, February 1st**

**8:04 A.M.**

It was Tuesday, the start of a new month. Massie sat in French class, doodling 'J + M' in her notebook while the morning announcements were going on. She had a newfound confidence, now that everyone wanted to go to their party. Yesterday was ah-mazing. Everyone welcomed her like she was the queen, and even the boys were worshipping her.

Of course, there was only one guy that she really cared about. _James Weinstein. _

Suddenly, a folded-up piece of paper landed on her desk. Massie quickly put her notebook away, looked up, and saw Julia giggling to herself. She grinned and slowly opened the note.

_Guy spy with my little eye someone who's staring at you! xo Julia_

Massie scribbled a reply, then tossed it back to Julia.

**Who? I can't look now! xo Mass**

You-know-who... xo Vanessa

**No, I don't know xo Mass**

_*sigh* It's James. xo Julia_

**Great! :D xo Mass **

He so likes you :) xo Vanessa

_I know right? xo Julia_

**Guys, stop looking at him every five seconds. Now. xo Mass **

_Okay, fine. Then how do we give you status updates, since you're ahb-viously not going to look yourself? xo Julia _

Point. xo Vanessa

**Then look. But make sure he doesn't see you guys looking. xo** **Mass **

"Ech-hem."

Before Massie had a chance to throw the note to Julia, she saw Madame Pass hovering over her. She quickly tucked the note in the pocket of her Juicy Couture beaded pale pink skinny jean. "Yes, Madame Pass?" she asked innocently.

"Miss Block, can you please tell me the conjugation for _faire_? In case you didn't know, we're currently reviewing for the the Unit 5 assessment on Friday."

Massie smirked in an _I-got-this _kind of way. "Je fais, tu fais, il fait, elle fait, on fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font, elles font." Applause ensued almost immediately and she felt a sense of pride that she hadn't felt in three weeks. So this was what it felt like to be alpha (again).

"Well done, Miss Block. Now can someone use _faire _in a sentence?"

If someone raised their hand to answer, Massie didn't notice, because she was busy throwing the note to Julia. Immediately after she threw the note to Julia, a note landed on her desk. Her eyes searched the classroom to see who it was from, but everyone was either raising their hand, eager to give an example of how to use _faire _in a sentence, or sitting with their head in a book. She scrambled to open the note:

**_How's the party coming along? -James_**

Massie covered her mouth with her hand to prevent a squeal from escaping her mouth. Julia shot her a glance that said _what just happened_? She watched as Julia furiously scribbled back a reply, then realized that she had yet to respond to Jame's note.

**It's great! I'm pretty sure I've got the whole school to come. ;) xo Mass**

As soon as the note was flying across the room to James's desk, Massie wanted to take it back. What did she 'wink' at him for? She _was_ feeling happy. Everyone was now coming to her party, and she was positive that it was going to be party of the year. No, decade. No, century.

_What did James want? xo Julia_

Answer: Massie. *evil smirk* xo Vanessa

Before writing back, Massie rolled her eyes at Vanessa's reply.

**Gawd, Vanessa. Just stop it. He just wanted to know how the party's coming along. xo Mass**

_That's all he wanted? xo Julia_

**Nawt you too, Jules. I'm watching you two. xo Mass **

"I am passing out your study guides now." At the sound of Madame Pass's voice, Massie quickly shoved the note in her Kate Spade tote and smiled innocently. Madame Pass didn't even bat an eye as she walked past Massie, dropping a thick study guide on her desk in the process. She gawked at the size of it. And this was only for a unit test! She hated to think what the study guides would be like for semester exams. She knew that KISS was a really good private school, and valued education more than fashion, unlike OCD. She would have to work much harder in these classes. But why hadn't Madame Pass noticed that they were passing notes yet? Massie smirked.

"Complete the packet by Thursday. You have two days to work on it," Madame Pass said. "Work on it now. By yourself; no partners."

Massie knew the 'no partners' rule was because yesterday, there were partners, so she, Julia, and Vanessa all got together. Apparently, there were no groups of three allowed, but none of them would switch. In her defense, there was an odd number of people in the class (which was true). So she sassed Madame Pass, and that's why there's 'no partners allowed.' Just great.

Massie quickly threw the note to Vanessa, then caught the incoming note from James.

_**That's great, Mass! Hey, what are you doing during lunch?**_** _-James_**

_Ehmagawd, what does this mean? _Massie thought. He was probably going to ask her out or something, but she had to ask Julia and Vanessa before replying.

Okay, okay, calm down, Mass. We were just kidding around. xo Vanessa

_What did James want this time? xo Julia_

**He wanted to know what I was doing during lunch. xo Mass**

_! xo Julia_

What did you say? xo Vanessa

**I didn't reply yet. What should I say? xo Mass**

_Well, say what you're doing during lunch. :P xo Julia_

**You're no help. I'll just say 'the usual.' xo Mass**

After throwing the note to Vanessa, Massie quickly scribbled down her reply to James.

**Oh, y'know, the usual. Sitting with Julia and Vanessa at Table 15. Nothing much. xo Mass **

**_So you have nothing important to do? -James_**

**Nothing important at all. :( xo Mass**

_**Well, now you do. Wanna have lunch on the lawn with me? -James**_

Well, Mass? ANYTHING? xo Vanessa

_No need to shout, lol. xo Julia _

**He asked me to have lunch on the lawn with him. Which is basically asking me out. xo Mass**

OMG, did you say yes? xo Vanessa 

_That's great. BTW, what'd you get for number 5? xo Julia_

***sigh* faire du ski. I thought it was obvious. And no, I haven't replied yet. xo Mass**

What are you waiting for? xo Vanessa 

_Thanks, Mass! You're a true friend. And tell him yes. xo Julia _

**Kk. xo Mass**

Massie took her time writing her reply to James, carefully thinking out every word.

**I'd love to. Meet you on the lawn at 11:25? xo Mass**

**_See you then._-James**

Massie couldn't help but smile. Things were finally going well in London. She had to admit, she liked James better than any of her other crushes. She didn't even know why she bothered with Derrington, Dempsey, and Landon. James was ahb-viously 10 times better.

Suddenly, note after note landed on her desk. It seemed like the whole class wanted to talk to her. And Massie was pretty ure it wasn't because she was a French genius.

Hey Massie, I can't wait for your party! -Abigail

Hi Massie, you don't know me, but I've always envied you since the minute you set foot in KISS. -.- -Lisa

Massie, you're awesome. Let's all pass notes! -Talia

What's the dress code for your party? Ahhh I'm freaking out! -Bethany

Those were just some of the notes she received. Like a true celebrity (not really), Massie took the time to answer all her 'fan mail.' This was going great! She had the whole class in on this note-passing thing, and she didn't even have to say a word to them. They just watched her, and _knew_.

Just goes to show how good Massie Block is at starting trends. And that she never gets caught.

* * *

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**The Front Lawn**

**Tuesday, February 1st**

**11:23 A.M.**

Massie sat with her legs crossed under her favorite tree on the front lawn and tried not to hyperventilate. She was on a date with James Weinstein. At school. It was pretty awkward, but she would make it work. She had to make it work.

She quickly made a list of possible conversation topics. She would start out by saying hi (obviously), and then maybe she would talk about life in London compared to life in Westchester. After that, she would let James talk about his life for a while, because she didn't want to come off as selfish. And then from there...maybe they could make plans for another date. Possibly. Hopefully.

"Hey, Massie." James sat down beside Massie, who just smiled.

"Hi, James," she managed.

"So what are you having for lunch?" he asked.

Massie reached into her Vera Bradley lunchbox and pulled out a Nutella sandwich. "A Nutella sandwich. I just _love _Nutella," she admitted.

"Strange, I thought girls like you were all about eating healthy," James commented.

"We are," Massie said. "I only eat this occasionally." James raised his eyebrows. "If occasionally means every day, that is."

"You're funny, Block," James said. Then he paused. "Can I call you that?"

_No! 'Block' is what Derrington called me; of course you can't call me that! _Massie's insides screamed. But on the outside, she managed a smile and said, "Sure," because she didn't want James to think she was rude, y'know?

"Great. So how are you liking London?"

"I don't like it. I love it. But if you'd have asked me last week or so, I would've said I hated it. Things are going so much better now. It's really different from Westchester, but it's a good different. I really like it here. I mean, I miss my friends, but we Skype a lot, and last weekend, I went to visit them. I'm making new ones, so that's good too. Oh, and by the way, how come I haven't heard anyone talk in a British accent?"

James laughed. "You want to know a secret?" Massie nodded. "Well, KISS is a very exclusive private school, and students from all over the world are invited to come. I'm pure British, but I grew up in the States, so I never picked it up. And some people have British accents, maybe you just haven't met that many students."

"You got that right. I barely know anyone here. And that's too bad, I totally heart British accents."

"Then you can never heart me."

"I never said that." Massie blushed. "I just heart guys with British accents a little more than the rest."

"Sadly, I don't fall in the 'guys with British accents' category," James said. "Anyway, can you tell me more about Westchester? I don't know much about it, except that it's in New York."

Massie giggled. "Well, Westchester is like the Beverly Hills of New York. I went to this private school called Octavian Country Day School, it's pretty cool there. Oh, and it's girls only. They care _a lot _about expressing yourself through fashion. I was the alpha of my own clique, the Pretty Committee. My best friends were Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons. We were the most popular girls in school. I had - correction, still have- a dog named Bean...anything else? Oh, the houses are really big there. We had our own barn, pool, and spa. My friend Claire stayed in our guesthouse."

"So what about you?" she asked, realizing that she was ranting. "I don't want to only talk about me."

"I like talking about you," James said. "But if you insist. I'm on the football team. Oops, I mean soccer. I forgot that you Americans call football soccer. And I love sports." Massie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was just another guy who likes soccer. Bo-ring. She wanted a guy who was more than just _soccer_. "Oh yeah, and did I tell you that I'm a model?"

Massie's amber eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yup. I could get you and your friends a contract, if you'd like," James offered.

"Ehmagawd, I'd love that!" Massie said. "Thanks so much. My parents keep pestering me about getting a job anyway," she lied.

"Anything for you, Block," James said, smiling. "Other than soccer and modeling, I love photography." Upon hearing this, Massie made a mental note to ask Claire about what photography was like and get some info.

"That's so cool, because I heart photography as well," Massie lied again. "My friend Claire likes it too, we're like photography buddies."

"Great, maybe I can show you around the park sometime, you can get really good pictures of the nature," James said.

"Maybe." Massie shrugged. "Just not today, since I'm busy getting ready for the party."

"Ah, Massie Block's legendary party. Yesterday, you changed it to a masquerade ball, right? I bet I can find you with your mask on."

"You better," Massie said. "Because mine will be the prettiest. And if you can't tell pretty from plain, then shame on you."

"Don't worry, I'll be able to tell."

_Ringggggggggg! _The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"So you wanna have dinner sometime?" Massie asked. She had to make a move, even though the guy usually makes the move. "I know this cool new place. Actually, it's the only restaurant I know around here."

"Cool," James said. "It's a date."

* * *

**Yup, it's a masquerade ball now. Spices things up a bit. Massie's party seemed a bit boring compared to the modeling and 'winter wonderland' in Westchester. Next chapter will be a joint Westchester & London chap. We're nearing the end, guys! Sequel or no sequel? **

**You know what to do. :) **

**Kisses!  
~Rachel **

**(lol, catch the reference to my new profile pic?)**


	19. xix

**Westchester, New York**

**The Rivera Estate**

**Wednesday, February 2nd  
**

**4:23 P.M.**

Kristen Gregory sighed as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. They were in the middle of a modeling session, and things weren't going the slightest bit expected —everyone was fighting, and they couldn't agree on anything. She should have expected this to happen; The first sign that this was going to be a long afternoon was when Olivia started complaining about how she didn't like the color blue and demanded to wear _everything_pink. Then, Strawberry and Kori complained about how their feet were tired, and how they thought they had blisters (they actually didn't). Allie-Rose was being surprisingly cooperative; she was even making an effort to help out the PC when she could.

"Kris, do you have any aspirin with you? I feel a migraine coming on," Alicia said, rubbing her temples. "If that a-i-r-h-e-a-d whines one more time, I swear, I will yank her side ponytail. Hard." Hearing this, Olivia looked puzzled and began to count on her fingers, muttering _a-i-r-h-e-a-d? _under her breath. Alicia shook her head disapprovingly. _  
_

Kristen giggled into her palm, reaching into her bag to pull out some aspirin for Alicia. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

"I'll take over for now, 'kay?" Kristen whispered; Alicia nodded. Clapping her hands, she said, "Okay, girlies, listen up! We have _two days _to prepare for the party. That's forty-eight hours. I am going to make sure that we make every single single hour, minute, and second count. This means no slacking off, all right? We won't be getting our actual outfits until the day of the party. I know the outfits just arrived, but y'all need to use your brains and figure it out."

"Or else you'll lose all modeling privileges," Dylan added. "Understood?" Olivia, Strawberry, and Kori stared down at their high heels, afraid to meet Dylan's green eyes. "Understood?" she repeated. The three of them nodded. "Okay, from the top."

"Okay, ah, Strawberry and Kori, you two go on first." Strawberry and Kori rushed to the fake red-carpet runway quickly, not wanting to be yelled at by Kristen, who was acting surprisingly commanding today. "Music!" Kristen snapped her fingers, giving Claire the signal to turn the music on, which was _Primadonna Girl _by Marina & the Diamonds. Alicia had thought that the song fit, because they _were_ primadonna girls. "Smile, girls! Stand up straight, don't slouch," Kristen critiqued. "Confidence is key. Please, at least try to look like you're having fun out there!"

Alicia threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "Stop," she commanded; Claire turned off the music. "This isn't working." She approached Strawberry and Kori, grabbed them by the hands, and literally dragged them off the 'runway.' "Why, exactly, did you two try out for modeling?" she questioned.

"Because we thought it would be fun," Strawberry said, head hanging down. "But it's not turning out to be fun. At all."

"And we like watching America's Next Top Model," Kori added.

"Why isn't it turning out to be fun, may I ask?" Alicia intimidatingly walked in a circle around the two trembling girls. "Is it because I'm being too strict? Too demanding? Well, that's modeling for ya. Sorry sweeties, that's how the cookie crumbles. If you can't take it, then get out." She gestured towards the door, making a _tsk, tsk _sound.

"I'm sorry," Kori mumbled underneath her breath, but loud enough for Alicia to hear. "We'll try harder."

"Yeah," Strawberry echoed. But after five minutes, it was clearly evident that Strawberry and Kori just couldn't focus and do what they were asked. Kristen hated to admit it, but in a way, Olivia was a better model than them. Alicia looked so mad that her beautiful head was about to explode.

"Leesh." Allie-Rose stepped in. "Leave it to me. I got this." Smiling sweetly at Strawberry and Kori, she said, "So, uh, Strawberry, what's your favorite food?" Alicia and Dylan sent her puzzling looks, but Kristen and Claire just smiled; she knew exactly what Allie-Rose was doing.

Strawberry bit her bottom lip and twirled a lock of pink hair around her finger. "Ice cream. Mint chocolate chip ice cream."

"Ooh, yes, that's _so _good. Anyway, just imagine a bowl of mint choco chip ice cream waiting for you at the end of the runway. But you can only have it if you walk/strut with confidence, a smile, and a straight back. Think of it as your reward. And, if you do a good job, we might actually give you some mint choco chip ice cream when the fashion show is over." Claire winked. Upon hearing this, Strawberry's eyes widened in delight. _Oh, they're just so easy, _Kristen thought to herself. Turning to Kori, she asked, "Kori, what about you? Favorite food?"

"Um, red velvet cake," Kori replied.

"Same goes for you, Kori," Allie-Rose said. "Imagine a slice of red velvet cake at the end of the runway. You get it if you walk/strut with confidence, a smile, and a straight back. It's your reward; I'll consider actually giving some to you. Do you two know what to do now?" Strawberry and Kori nodded. "Great! Now get back on there and give it your all, kay?"

Strawberry and Kori returned to the runway and strutted again, this time with the confidence of, well, an alpha. They both had genuine smiles on their faces, and were standing as straight as a stick. Kristen noticed Alicia and Dylan staring at Allie-Rose with wide eyes, shell-shocked at how her encouraging words had worked magic on the two girls. Allie-Rose was almost bursting with pride, having achieved what Alicia and Dylan couldn't (Kristen & Claire probably could've pulled it off). After Strawberry and Kori turned around and made their way back, the other girls applauded loudly. "Ehmagawd, that was ah-mazing," Dylan gushed. "You two really have potential."

Alicia's chocolate brown eyes met Allie-Rose's green ones, and she said, "Allie-Rose, a word, please?" Allie-Rose followed Alicia into the kitchen. Once she was sure they were alone, Alicia began. "Omigosh, how did you do that, Allie? Oh, and are you okay with me calling you Allie?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with it." Allie-Rose smiled. "And it really wasn't that hard, everyone needs a different approach when teaching. Maybe you guys could try something other than being mean and sassy all the time."

If Alicia was offended by this, she didn't show it. "Allie, you truly are Pretty Committee material."

"Thanks!" Allie responded. "Now come on, let's go back to the living room, we still have lots of work to do."

Overhearing the conversation, Kristen grinned. Allie-Rose was a great person to have on their team. Maybe, they could finally ascend up the social ladder and rule Octavian Country Day without Massie Block.

* * *

**The Rivera Estate**

**Living Room**

**Wednesday, February 2nd**

**6:34 P.M.**

Two hours later, all the girls knew exactly what they had to do and were executing it pretty well. Alicia couldn't help but feel extremely proud of herself. _If Massie was here, she would've been proud too, _she thought. "Okay, that's a wrap!" she said. "Anyone up for dinner?"

"Yes, I'm soooooooooooooooo hungry," Olivia whined. "And thirsty."

Dylan laughed. "That's one thing I can agree with you on. I want ppiiiizzzzaaaaaa," she burped rather loudly, extracting laughs from everyone. "Can we go to Slice of Heaven?" she asked, this time in her normal voice.

"It's fine with me if it's fine with you guys." Alicia glanced expectantly at the other girls.

Kristen shrugged. "I'm in." She seemed casual about the decision; the rest of them soon followed suit in responding.

"Me too," Claire chimed in, her tone cheery.

Olivia, Allie-Rose, Strawberry, and Kori nodded.

"Slice of Heaven, it is then!" Dylan giggled.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, then the ring of the doorbell. Alicia raced to answer the door. It was Derrick Harrington, Cam Fisher, Josh Hotz, Chris Plovert, Kemp Hurley, Dempsey Solomon, Griffin Hastings, and some other Briarwood boys that Alicia didn't recognize. "Hey, Joshie," she said sweetly, "what are you doing here?" Alicia batted her super long eyelashes and ran her fingers through her glossy black hair.

"Pizza delivery for the lovely Miss Alicia Rivera and her friends Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons!" Josh yelled at the top of his lungs. Alicia grimaced; why couldn't he use his indoor voice, for once? But she smiled, and welcomed them in anyway. Once everyone was inside, Josh continued. "I heard you guys were having a modeling rehearsal session, so I thought I'd stop by. Ooh, are these your outfits? I can't wait to see you in them. I bet you'd look super hot in that one, babe. And that one, and that one, oh, and that one too." The boys whooped and hollered, and exchanged a round of high fives.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Josh, calm down, _babe. _You guys aren't allowed to see the outfits until the party. So let's go eat in the kitchen, kay, _babe? _The dining room's too close to the living room." She smirked. She was not going to let the boys get away with being so immature.

"Okay, fine, Leesh. We'll go into the kitchen to eat," Josh said, smiling.

"Better." Alicia smiled, but didn't follow her boyfriend into the kitchen. Once the boys were gone, she whispered, "Girls. If you have a secret crush on one of the boys, now's the time to tell us." She tapped her foot on the hardwood floor. "I'm waiting. Just remember, there's nothing to be ashamed about."

"I still like Derringt- _Derrick_," Dylan blurted out, then blushed, embarrassed.

"Cam and I are still together," Claire stated, like it was obvious (it was).

"I don't like anyone at the moment," Kristen said. "I'm too busy with the Soccer Sisters." It didn't seem like she was lying; Alicia decided to believe her. Kristen wasn't the kind of person who lied.

"Um, Kristen, then can I have Dempsey?" Olivia asked eagerly. Kristen rolled her eyes but nodded; Olivia cheered. "Yay!"

Strawberry and Kori kept their eyes on the ground and didn't say anything. "Ech-hem," Alicia cleared her throat.

"I like Kemp, because he's a bad boy," Strawberry mumbled.

Kori's jaw dropped. "No way, that's what I was gonna say."

Alicia sighed. "Well, then may the best girl win. Allie?"

"_Nooneatall,__" _Allie-Rose muttered, just loud enough so that Alicia could hear.

"Okay then," Alicia said, relieved that no one said Josh. "It seems like the only problem we have is the Strawberry-Kori-Kemp love triangle, but it'll work out somehow." Honestly, she didn't give a damn about their little 'love triangle,' but as an alpha, she had to show her support, right? Or maybe she didn't. She would have to ask Massie about that. "Let's go eat now! I'm starved."

"Ah-greed," Dylan said.

Claire laughed. "You're _always _hungry. I bet you, she's gonna eat _at least _five slices of pizza today."

"Okay, you're on," Kristen said. "If she eats at least five slices, I have to buy you a pair of diamond earrings. If she eats less than five, you have to buy _me _a pair of diamond earrings."

"Hey, I was joking!" Claire exclaimed.

"I know, I was too," Kristen replied; Claire relaxed and smiled. "I know we both can't afford diamond earrings, haha."

"Girls!" Alicia snapped. "Kitchen, now!" Kristen and Claire exchanged an eye roll, but followed Alicia into the kitchen anyway.

"Hey, Claire Bear," was the first thing Cam said when he saw Claire. He patted the spot on the floor next to him. "Sit here." If Claire thought the fact that they were sitting on the floor was weird, she didn't show it; she ran over to sit next to Cam. "I got sausage pineapple pizza just for us."

"Aww, thanks, Cam!" Claire just _loved _sausage pineapple pizza and Cam did too; They really were the perfect pair.

"So, girls, how's the party planning going?" Derrick asked, once everyone was comfortably settled.

"It's going quite well, actually. I can count on you guys, being there, right?" Alicia responded.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Josh said, putting his arm around Alicia.

The conversation topic went from the party to school to food to all sorts of things. The girls were really enjoying themselves; the guys probably were too. Romances were brewing and friendships were forming. As Alicia watched everyone socialize with each other, she smiled. Maybe, as OCD's new alpha, she could build the bridge between the Briarwood boys and the Octavian Country Day girls. After all, she could do anything she wanted, since she was _going to be _alpha now.

That is, if the party went well.

* * *

**So my goal is to finish this story by the end of the summer, or, at least before school starts (for me, that's August 26th). Seem far-fetched? Naw. This story is my main focus right now. And then we'll move on to the _sequel, _which will be called _It's Not Easy Being Queen. _Hopefully, it'll turn out a bit better than this; this was my first story and I'm still editing it. :/ Bear with me, guys! Stay loving & keep reviewing (reviews make me update a lot faster, y'know). :)**

**Okay Kayla now update Alpha's! :D Haha I wrote this all today write after you updated The Shots Rang Out in OCD.**

**xo rachel**

**P.S. I'm pretty sure the sequel will have more romance and such, so you guys can request pairings because i'm really not sure about what to do. haha, these are just their crushes, not exactly who they'll end up with. Maybe leave out Strawberry and Kori, unless you reallyreally want drama.**


	20. xx

**Knightsbridge Isle Secondary School**

**Science, Room 106**

**Thursday, February 3rd**

**2:39 P.M.**

"Class, don't forget to study for the body systems test tomorrow!" Professor Crawford reminded the class for the hundredth time that day. Sitting in the back of the classroom, Massie Block fake-yawned, causing her two best friends, Julia Winters and Vanessa Peterson, to giggle. Professor Crawford immediately silenced the three of them with a _look, _her green eyes boring into their souls.

_Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! _The final bell rang, and all the students immediately raced out the door. "Don't forget to study!" Professor Crawford called after them. _Number of times Professor Crawford reminded us to study for the test: 101, _Massie thought inside her head.

"Can you guys wait for me?" Julia asked her two best friends. She was in the process of shoving her books into her Vera Bradley bag. "These ... stupid ... books ... won't ... go ... in!" she huffed, exasperated.

Massie raced to her side and said, "Here, let me help." She took the bag from Julia's hands and swiftly slid the books in.

"Thanks, Mass." Julia swung the bag over her shoulder and followed Massie and Vanessa out the door. "So are you guys actually going to study for the test tomorrow? I hear it's supposed to be pretty hard."

"Puh-lease." Vanessa rolled her eyes. "The party is tomorrow; do we have time for studying, Mass?" She looked at Massie in hopes that she'll get her approval to not study.

"Actually, I was thinking that we could take a break from the party _and _from studying. How about, let's say, we hit the mall?" Massie suggested. "My credit cards are dying to be swiped."

"Sure, why not?" Julia shrugged.

"Okay, I'm in!" Vanessa added.

Massie led the group as they walked to the Blocks' Range Rover, where New Isaac was waiting for them. "Hey, Issac," she said as she slid in the backseat; Vanessa and Julia slid in after her.

"That's not my name, but hello, Miss Block," New Isaac replied, starting the car. "Where to today?"

"The London Mall, please," Massie requested. Isaac nodded. She leaned back in her seat, relaxing. She would finally get a break from the party planning. Yesterday, she had taken the girls to the mall, but for an entirely different reason –they were shopping for new costumes for the party, since Massie had decided to change it to a masquerade ball.

"Mass, can we hit Starbucks first?" Vanessa asked. "If we're going on a shopping spree, I need to stay energized."

"M'kay." Massie nodded. "What other stores do you want to hit?"

"I was thinking that we could go to all of them," Julia said, "starting at the right end of the mall –that's where Neiman's is, right? Yeah, then we can work out way to the left side of the mall. It closes at ten, so I think we have enough time. We can grab some dinner at the food court."

Massie's eyes widened. That was a lot of shopping to do for a school afternoon! But she trusted Julia, after all, she was Beverly Hills' resident fashion expert. "Then we'll do just that. Great idea, Jules!"

"Thanks, Mass." Julia smiled, and Massie returned it. Suddenly, a _ping _sound came from Massie's phone. She fished her phone out of her own Vera Bradley bag, and checked her text messages.

**Claire: **Whoever thought of having math first thing in the morning is cray-cray. Save meh. :(

**Massie: **LOL. Sorry, I'm busy. Shopping spree with J & V.

**Claire: **You don't have to prepare for the party?

**Massie: **All preparations are done! I thought the three of us could use some relaxation time.

**Claire: **Oh, okay. We still have some work to do on modeling.

**Alicia: **Hola, chicas! Whoever thought of having English first thing in the morning is seriously cray-cray.

**Dylan: **Heyyyyyyy. :) You two have got it wrong, whoever thought of having science first thing in the morning is cray-cray.

**Kristen: **LOL. There must be something wrong with me, because I like having gym first thing, haha.

**Massie: **M'kay, you guys. How's your party?

**Dylan: **Olivia is imposs to deal with.

**Alicia: **Point.

**Claire: **Mass, I wish you'd talk to us more often. It's like the only thing we talk about is the party.

**Massie: **Well, what else is there to talk about?

**Kristen: **The boys came over yesterday.

**Massie: **!

**Alicia: **They brought us pizza. :)

**Massie: **!

**Dylan: **Strawberry, Kori, & Olivia were there too. Apparently, S & K both like Kemp.

**Massie: **!

**Claire: **Oh, and we let Allie-Rose join our clique.

**Massie: **You WHAT?

**Alicia:** She's actually really nice, you know.

**Kristen: **We thought it was about time we got the clique back up to five people.

**Dylan: **You're not mad, are you?

**Massie: **Nah, I'm not mad. I'm actually happy you guys are doing so well without moi. I didn't think you guys would be throwing a party already. JK haha I love you guys. :) Miss ya.

**Claire: **Miss ya too!

**Dylan: **I promise, we'll catch up on everything over the weekend, once the parties are over. BTW I LOST FIVE POUNDS WHOO

**Kristen: **-.-

**Massie: **That's...great.

**Alicia: **Please, don't mind Dyl.

**Massie: **Haha. :)

**Kristen: **I g2g, the teacher is coming. :(

"Massie, if you weren't so busy texting your Westchester besties, you would've realized that we're here," Vanessa said, causing Massie's head to whip up suddenly. After texting the PC a quick good-bye, Massie quickly shoved her iPhone back in her bag. It was shopping time.

* * *

**The London Mall**

**Food Court**

**Thursday, February 3rd**

**6:36 P.M.**

Massie collapsed into her seat as she let go of all the shopping bags weighing her arms down. "Owwww," she groaned, taking a sip of her Starbucks latte. "I can't believe we already have so much bags, yet we're only gone through half the mall."

"Tell me about it," Vanessa complained.

"I don't mind much." Julia shrugged. "I _love _shopping sprees. _Love, love, love."_

"So, girls, what do you want to eat today?" Massie asked. "Despite all the shopping we just did, I'm not very hungry. I think I'll just have a simple salad. Vanessa, I think we all know what you want." Julia and Massie exchanged a glance and struggled not to laugh. The two of them just recently learned that Vanessa had an obsession with pizza.

"I'll have a salad two," Julia said. She and Massie deposited their shopping bags on their seats, and instructed Vanessa to watch them while they went and bought food for all of them. They quickly bought two salads and one pizza, and hurried back to their table.

When they got back, Vanessa had a scared expression on her face. "What's going on?" Massie questioned, sitting back down in her seat. Vanessa didn't say anything, she just pointed one table over from them. Massie and Julia simultaneously whipped their heads around in the direction Vanessa was pointing at. "Ehmagawd," Massie breathed. There were three girls seated at that table, the first one had black hair, the second one had brown hair, and the third one had dirty blonde hair. She immediately recognized the girls.

_Marissa Stewart, Hailey Perkins, and Isabel Caldwell. _

"You won't believe what I heard them talking about a few seconds ago," Vanessa whispered. Massie gave Vanessa a look that said _go on! _Julia gave Vanessa the same look, so she continued. "They were talking about...oh, why don't you listen for yourselves."

Massie, Julia, and Vanessa immediately became quiet as they strained to hear what Marissa, Hailey, and Isabel were talking about. "...party," Isabel was saying. Massie arched an eyebrow. Were they talking about their party? She pushed all her auburn hair behind her ear so that she could listen better. "If Massie's party is helping her gain so much popularity, why won't our party gain popularity for us?"

"Ohmygod, great idea, Izzy!" Marissa exclaimed. "If we throw an amazing party that tops Massie's, we'll be insta-popular and the 'alphas,' as Massie would say, of KISS."

"Mhmm, we can't let the queen position go to those colonists," Hailey added. "Those Americans are always up to no good. Imagine what would happen, with those three ruling the school." She shuddered, probably imagining Massie, Julia, and Vanessa as horrible alphas. "I bet they don't even know that here in England, we don't use the term 'alpha,' we use the tern 'queen.'"

"Uhm, hello?" Marissa said. "I used to live in the States too, y'know."

"Oops. Forgot. You're not completely new, so that's fine. But Massie, Julia, and Vanessa don't know the ropes of KISS at all. We can't let them take over. Izzy, your idea to play nice with them and let them teach us about fashion was gen-i-us!" Hailey brought her palm up for a high-five.

Isabel high-fived her, then said, "Thanks, you two. We'll have the party exactly two weeks after Massie's party; that'll be on Friday, February 18th. Are you guys all available then?" Marissa and Hailey nodded. "Great! Oh, and one more thing, we have to make sure the three of us get dates to the Valentine's Day Dance on Sunday the 13th—ugh, why in hell does Valentine's Day have to come on a Monday this year—before the three of _them _do. Oh, and get Sara on our side. If we have her, we'll have strength in numbers."

"Got it," Marissa responded. "We should keep our eye on James, because a little birdie told me that he and Massie are going out on a date, and that they had a lunch date on Tuesday."

"M'kay, got it," Isabel said, standing up. "Let's go, girls. We can discuss this more as we shop."

Massie couldn't believe that just a few days ago, she, Julia, and Vanessa had helped these three girls, along with some others, transition from LBR to at least B-list. They had even considered to let the three of them join their clique, along with Sara Robinson. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Massie thought it was just preposterous.

Once Isabel, Marissa, and Hailey were gone, Massie finally said, "Eep. I can't believe we were fooled by their innocent LBR act. Ehmagawd. I'm loosing my grip as alpha—sorry, I mean _queen._"

"I can't believe we helped them," Julia commented, clearly disgusted by that fact.

"They're _so _not who we thought they were," Vanessa whimpered.

"So what do we do now?" Julia asked. "Un-invite them to our party?"

"Nope." Massie shook her head, acting like an experienced alpha. "At our party, we have to expose them for who they really are, and tell everyone not to go to their party. I'll prepare one of my infamous current state of the union charts, making sure that the three of them are OUT. Let's see if anyone bothers to go to their party. If people still attend the party, we crash it. Understood?"

"Done," Julia agreed.

"Done," Vanessa chimed in.

"And done," Massie sealed the deal.

Her newest mission? Take Isabel Caldwell, Marissa Stewart, & Hailey Perkins down. _No one _dares to mess with Massie Block. Because there is nothing she does better than revenge. Those bee-yotches won't know what hit them.

* * *

**a/n: Okay, so the whole Isabel/Marissa/Hailey drama will be what the sequel is centered on, at least for the England parts. On another note, this fandom's almost dead. Sorry, but it's the truth. Guys, please help me keep it alive...or I'll have to switch over to Hunger Games and Harry Potter. For good. If you guys review, it makes me want to stay, and updated faster, so please leave one on the way out. :) **

**Next chap: the hours/minutes/seconds leading up to the parties! And then, in chapter twenty-two, the parties begin! It will span over three chapters.**

**xo rachel**

**this **or _that _question: **summer **or _winter? _


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